PRESENTED  TO  THE  LIBRARY 


OF 


PRINCETON  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINHRY 


BY 


]V[its.  Rle^^andcp  Ppoudfit. 
BV   4501    .P5    183r 
Philip,    Robert,    1791-1858.    ' 
Christian  experience  I 


CHRISTIAN   EXPERIENCE; 

OR,   A. 

^uit^e  to  tifte  WtvpUxcts, 


/ 

BY    ROBERT    PHILIP, 

Of  Maberly   Chapel. 


^erontr  iStrition. 


I  PHOi  LD  know  bow  to  speak  a  word  in  season  to  liiin  that 
is  weary." — Isaiah. 


LONDON : 

PRINTED  FOR  THE  PROPRIETOR, 

AND    SOLD    BV    THE 

iSoolt  S»ocwt5  for  l^romoting  l^eligious  i^tiiobjlftjgr. 

19,  PATERNOSTER  ROW. 

1831. 


THOMAS  CHALLIS,   Esq, 

TREASURER 

OF 

THE  CHRISTIAN  INSTRUCTION    SOCIETY, 

THESE  ESSAYS 

ARE    INSCRIBED 
AS    A    TOKEN    OF   FRIENDSHIP 

BY 

THE  AUTHOR. 


PREFACE 

TO    THE    SECOND    EDITION. 


Th  e  following  simple,  and  almost  conversational 
Essays,  are  the  substance  .of  actual  conversations  with 
the  Perplexed. 

In-  the  Preface  to  the  First  Edition  it  was  said, 
"  How  far  they  will  meet  the  case  of  that  class,  at 
large,  the  Author  does  not  venture  to  conjecture." 
Conjecture  is  now  needless;  they  have  proved  a 
"  Guide"  to  many.  It  would  evince  ingratitude  to 
God,  if  not  insensibility,  to  conceal  this  pleasing  fact. 

To  his  Fathers  and  Brethren,  who  have  adopted  the 
"  Guide,"  as  a  manual  for  the  Perplexed,  the  Author 
feels  himself  under  great  obligation.  Their  sanction 
is  not  the  least  cause  of  its  success.  And,  should  the 
companion  to  this  work,  "  Communion  vnth  God,  or  a 
Guide  to  the  Devotional  "  obtain,  or  deserve  the  same 
sanction  and  success,  he  will  be  encouraged  to  perse- 
vere in  a  "  line  of  things,"  which,  at  first,  did  not  seem 
to  be  his  "own."  For  it  was  not  in  this  "  way,"  he 
expected  to  *'  glorify  God." 

R.  P. 

May  field   Terrace,  Dalston. 


CONTENTS. 


Page 
THE  WORK  OF  THE  LAW  UPON  THE  CONSCIENCE  1 

II. 
THE  WORK  OF  THE  SPIRIT  ON  THE  HEART      .        20 

III. 
THE  WITNESS  OF  THE  SPIRIT         .  .        .        39 

IV. 
THE  SPECIAL  FRUITS  OF  THE  SPIRIT  ...        55 

V. 

JUSTIFICATION  BY  FAITH  .        .        ^        .        .        72 

VI. 
FELLOWSHIP  WITH  GOD  AND  THE  LAMB  .        88 


VIU.  CONTENTS. 

VII. 

Page 
THE  HOPE    OF   SALVATION   THE  BEST  SAFE- 
GUARD OF  THE  UNDERSTANDING  AGAINST 
ERROR,  AND  OF  THE  HEART  AGAINST  ilN  105 

VIIT. 
DEVOTIONAL  SELF  EXAMINATION  .        .        .123 

IX. 
THE  TEMPTATIONS  AND  FIERY  DARTS  OF  SATAN      14i> 

X. 

THE    FLUCTUATIONS    OF    RELIGIOUS   FEELING 

AND  ENJOYMENT l3> 

XI. 

CAUSES  OF  BACKSLIDING  .  .  .  •       172 

XII. 
SANCTIFIED  AFFLICTIONS  ....      180 

XIII. 
EXPERIMENTAL  MAXIMS  .  .  .  .200 


CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE. 

No.  I. 
THE  WORK  OF  THE  LAW  UPON  THE  CONSCIENCE. 


*'  Without  the  Law,  sin  is  dead.''  This  is 
true,  both  of  the  Moral  Law  of  Duty  and  of  the 
Evangelical  Law  of  Faith  :  for  until  their  autho- 
rity and  spirituality  are  understood  and  felt,  we 
do  not  understand  the  evil  of  sin,  nor  feel  the 
power  of  it.  Like  Paul  before  his  conversion, 
we  are  ^'^  alive,  without  the  law:"  not  afraid 
of  perishing,  nor  at  all  affected  by  the  plagues 
of  our  hearts :  not  seriously  displeased  with  our- 
selves, nor  conscious  of  the  displeasure  of  God. 

It  is  humiliating  to  look  back .  on  this  state 
of  mind.  We  acted  and  felt  as  if  there  had 
been  no  law  at  all,  or  as  if  there  had  been  no 
more  law  than  we  ourselves  chose  to  admit. 
We  obeyed  no  farther  than  suited  our  own  in- 
clinations, and  no  longer  than  suited  our  con- 


2  THE   WOKK    OF    THE    LAW 

venience.  And  yet,  awful  infatuation  !  we  were 
neither  afraid  nor  ashamed.  Indeed,  we  never 
paused  to  consider  seriously  the  divine  law  or 
its  sanctions ;  but  judged  of  right  and  wrong  by 
public  opinion.  The  world,  not  God,  was  our 
lawgiver;  and  accordingly,  when  we  did  not 
incur  blame  from  others,  we  suspected  none 
from  God;  and,  when  any  part  of  our  conduct 
was  condemned  by  others,  we  even  took  for 
granted  that  He  would  judge  more  charitably 
and  mercifully  than  our  neighbours  did.  Thus 
we  had  scarcely  one  scriptural  idea  of  the  nature 
or  the  authority  of  the  Eternal  law.  Accord- 
ingly, whilst  thus  *'  without  the  law,"  or  without 
a  right  sense  of  its  obligations  and  sanctions, 
we  were  quite  "alive;"  both  fearless  and  gay; 
neither  self-condemned  in  our  own  minds,  nor 
aware  that  God  had  condemned  us.  *'»Sm," 
also,  "  was  deadf''  whilst  we  were  thus  ignorant 
of  the  spirituality  and  strictness  of  the  Divine 
law.  Not,  indeed,  that  sin  itself  was  dead  in 
our  hearts :  far  from  it !  But  such  were  our 
slight  views  of  the  evil  of  sin,  that  it  might  have 
been  dead,  for  any  uneasiness  or  alarm  it  occa- 
sioned within  us.      It  did  not  pain  our  hearts  nor 


UPON    THB   CONSCIENCE.  3 

awaken  our  consciences:  it  left  us  at  *'ease" 
even  "in  Zion,"  and  threw  no  cloud  on  our 
spirits  or  our  prospects.  We  looked  as  safe  and 
smiling  as  if  we  had  had  no  sin,  or  as  if  sin 
involved  no  punishment.  Thus  sin  was  virtually 
dead,  whilst  we  were  inattentive  to  the  demands 
and  denunciations  of  the  Divine  law. 

Nor  was  this  all.  Whilst  without  scriptural 
views  of  the  holiness  and  justness  of  the  law,  we 
were  not  aware  of  the  power  which  sin  had  over 
us,  nor  of  the  strength  of  our  love  to  it.  The 
evil  principles  of  our  hearts  did  not  show  all 
their  evil,  because  we  laid  no  powerful  con- 
straint upon  them.  We  had  never  tried  to  be 
very  good,  and  therefore  we  did  not  discover  that 
our  hearts  were  very  bad.  Indeed,  we  thought 
better  of  our  hearts  than  of  our  lives.  The  reason 
is  obvious :  we  let  our  hearts  have  their  own  way, 
and  allowed  them  to  think  and  feel  as  they  were 
inclined.  Whatever  religious  restraints  we  laid 
upon  our  lips  or  our  hands,  we  imposed  none 
upon  our  thoughts :  they  might  range  and  revel 
as  they  chose,  if  they  only  kept  clear  of  painful 
and  spiritual  subjects.  It  was,  therefore,  un- 
likely— indeed  impossible — that  our  hearts  should 


4  THE   WORK    OF  THE   LAW 

manifest  all  their  enmity  to  the  laws  of  God, 
wbilst  these  laws  were  not  applied  to  them.  We 
did  not  set  them  to  try  to  love  or  fear  God  :  we 
did  not  call  on  them  to  consider  divine  and 
eternal  things  seriously  :  we  gave  them  no  tasks 
in  devotion,  meditation,  or  self-control.  In  a 
word,  we  did  not  at  all  trouble  our  hearts  to  be 
religious ;  and  therefore  they  did  not  trouble  us 
by  any  great  opposition  to  the  few  religious 
duties  we  performed ;  but  let  us  have  our  own 
way,  so  long  as  they  had  their  own  way.  And 
this  was  one  chief  reason  why  our  hopes  of  final 
safety  kept  "  alive,"  whilst  we  were  without  the 
law  :  we  thought  well  of  our  hearts,  because  they 
offered  no  marked  opposition  to  the  morals  or 
the  religion  which  we  attended  to.  We  attended 
to  no  more  than  was  barely  sufficient  to  save  us 
from  being  called  irreligious ;  and  the  pride  of 
the  heart  allowed  that  degree  of  duty  at  all  times, 
and,  on  solemn  occasions,  a  little  more  :  whereas 
if  we  had  tried  to  set  our  hearts  to  the  serious 
consideration  and  the  spiritual  discharge  of  all 
duty,  they  would  have  soon  shown  that  they  were 
*' hearts  of  stone." 

This  is  indeed  a  humiliating  review  of  our 


UPON    THE    CONSCIENCE.  .) 

former  habits  of  acting  and  judging ;  but  it  is 
well  both  to  take  it,  and  to  declare  it,  because 
the  declaration  of  it  may  prove  useful  to  others. 
To  ourselves  such  a  retrospect  mvM  be  useful, 
were  it  only  to  enable  us  to  discern  the  change 
which  has  taken  place  in  our  views  and  feelings 
on  this  subject. 

New  we  can  truly  say,  that  however  we  were 
alive,  or  sin  dead,  whilst  we  did  not  allow  the 
Law  to  speak  to  our  consciences, — "  when  the 
commandment  came,  sin  revived,  and  we  diedJ*^ 
Our  ill-grounded  hopes  of  heaven,  and  our  good 
opinion  of  our  own  hearts,  fell  dead  before  the 
scriptural  fact,  that  the  Eternal  law  demands  and 
admits  nothing  short  of  perfect  obedience.  The 
solemn  denunciation,  "  Cursed  is  he  who  con- 
tinueth  not  in  all  things  written  in  the  book  of 
the  law,  to  do  them,''  awoke  us  at  once  to  our 
guilt  and  danger  ;  and  the  declaration,  that  "  by 
the  deeds  of  the  law,  no  flesh  living  shall  be 
justified,''  confounded  us.  We  were  thus  re- 
duced to  a  complete  dilemma  :  we  saw  that  we 
had  not  kept  the  law  ;  we  felt  that  we  were 
unable  to  keep  it  perfectly  ;  and  now  we  under- 
stood that,  however  well  we  might  keep  it  in 
B  2 


6  THE  WORK    OF  THE   LAW 

future,  the  obedience  would  not  atone  for  our 
past  sins. 

We  knew  not  what  to  do,  or  what  to  think, 
when  these  solemn  facts  flashed  upon  our  minds ; 
they  were  so  unlike  all  our  former  opinions. 
We  had,  indeed,  heard  and  read  them,  but  they 
had  not  struck  nor  startled  us  before.  How 
could  they  ?  We  had  never  seriously  weighed 
their  import,  nor  suspected  their  application  to 
ourselves  :  and  now  that  we  saw  both,  it  seemed 
too  late  to  remedy  our  mistakes.  For  what 
could  we  do  with  a  law  which  condemned  us  for 
past  sins,  and  would  not  allow  present  duty  to 
make  up  for  them  ?  We  were  willing  to  reform, 
and  to  lead  a  new  life  ;  but  what  was  the  use  of 
doing  so,  if  the  change  could  not  save  our  souls  ? 
Thus  there  seemed  no  encouragement  to  do 
better,  and  no  benefit  to  be  derived  from  it. 

Our  case  now  began  to  wear  a  hopeless  aspect, 
and  would  have  been  held  desperate,  had  not  our 
floating  ideas  abojat  the  mercy  of  God,  and  the 
merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  kept  despair  in  check. 
We  had  never  indeed  examined,  with  any  care, 
the  nature  of  divine  mercy,  or  the  design  of  the 
Saviour's  death  ;  but  we  took  for  granted  that. 


UPON    THE   CONSCIENCE.  7 

of  course,  they  were  intended  to  help  us  in  some 
way — and  no  way,  that  we  knew  of  then,  seemed 
so  likely  as  their  making  up  for  our  defects,  if 
we  did  our  best  to  live  well  in  future.  Accord- 
ingly, under  this  hope,  we  began  to  reform,  and 
tried  to  repent.  We  determined  to  confess, 
very  humbly,  all  our  past  sins  and  shortcomings, 
and  Jo  be  very  devout  in  our  religious  duties. 
But,  lo  !  to  our  surprise,  our  hearts  would  not 
Jix  nor  feel !  They  wandered  in  prayer,  and 
wavered  in  all  their  pious  resolutions — they  in- 
vented excuses  for  the  neglect  of  some  duties, 
and  soon  tired  of  others.  This  we  had  not 
looked  for ;  but,  indeed,  calculated  that  our 
hearts  would  follow  up  all  the  dictates  of  our 
consciences.  What  was  to  be  done  ?  We  de- 
termined to  mader  their  aversion  to  spiritual 
things ;  to  force  them  to  be  penitent  and  devo- 
tional. But  all  would  not  do;  they  actually 
became  worse,  instead  of  better,  the  more  we 
tried  to  subject  them  to  the  authority  of  the 
Divine  law. 

Thus  it  was ;  *'  when  the  commandment 
came"  home  to  our  hearts,  demanding  sincerity 
and  spirituality,  <'  sin  revived.'^ 


«  THE   WORK    OF   THE    LAW 

The  principles  of  the  carnal  mind  flew  up  in 
arms,  when  the  power  of  godliness  attempted 
to  sit  down  on  the  throne  of  the  heart.  Then 
our  pride  objected  to  the  humility,  our  sloth  to 
the  diligence,  our  passions  to  the  self-denial, 
and  our  tempers  to  the  strictness,  of  true  holi- 
ness: the  whole  soul  shrunk  back  from  the 
'*  yoke"  of  Christ,  or  tried  to  break  it ;  and  the 
real,  though  secret,  language  of  the  heart  was, 
**  we  will  not  have  this  man  to  reign  over  us.^"* 
Thus  we  found  that  our  hearts  were  as  unwilling 
to  obey  Christ  fully,  as  they  were  unable  to  keep 
the  law  perfectly  ;  and  therefore  the  Gospel  (as 
we  understood  it  then,  and  as  some  understand 
it  now)  left  us  as  hopeless  as  the  law  had  done. 
And  in  this  way,  how  could  the  Saviour  be  ex- 
pected to  make  up  the  defects  of  a  heartless 
piety  ?  We  felt  that  our  religion  was  all  forced 
work,  and  likely  to  continue  to  be  so ;  and  as 
our  opinion  of  the  work  of  Christ  was,  that  he 
only  helped  out  those  who  did  their  best;  of 
course,  we  had  nothing  to  expect  from  him, 
because  nothing  to  give  him,  now  that  our  hearts 
seemed  to  grow  worse  instead  of  better.  In  a 
word,   we  could  make  nothinsr  of  the   law  or 


UPON    THE   CONSCIENCE.  9 

Gospel,  but  despair  or  discouragement  in  our 
own  case.  The  law  had  condemned  us,  and  it 
seemed  inevitable  that  the  Gospel  would  do  so 
too. 

In  this  condition, — convinced  of  the  import- 
ance of  personal  religion,  but  feeling  it  almost 
impossible  to  be  religious ;  alive  to  the  value  of 
the  sonl,  but  seeing  no  way  of  securing  its  sal- 
vation,— many  are  kept  on  the  rack  of  suspense, 
and  some  on  the  rack  of  utter  despair.  And 
when  such  distress  of  soul  falls  in,  as  it  fre- 
quently does,  with  a  nervous  frame  of  body,  or 
a  melancholy  cast  of  mind,  the  suffering  is 
dreadful — indeed  dangerous;  for  the  tendency 
of  such  minds  is  to  indulge  hopelessness.  Ac- 
cordingly some  do  nothing  else  but  "write 
bitter  things"  against  themselves  ;  setting  them- 
selves down  as  certainly  lost  beyond  redemption, 
and  interpreting  all  their  agonizing  feelings  into 
marks  of  reprobation.  Under  this  horrid  per- 
suasion, they  give  up  prayer  entirely,  and  feel 
inclined  to  have  done  with  the  word  of  God, 
and  the  house  of  God,  for  ever.  Indeed,  they 
would  do  so,  were  it  not  that  they  cannot  aban- 
don either  for  any  length  of  time.     There   is 


10  THE  WORK     OF   THE    LAW 

some  fascination  about  the  means  oH  grace, 
which  draws  even  the  hopeless  back  to  them, 
in  spite  of  despair,  sooner  or  later.  They  may 
say  that  they  look  for  no  good  from  any  means, 
and  that  they  are  sure  to  find  none;  but  still 
they  do  "  look  again"  to  the  temple  of  God,  and 
cannot  tear  themselves  finally  away  from  it,  nor 
utterly  forget  that  salvation  which  seems  lost 
to  them.  The  truth  is,  despair  is  not  natural 
to  the  human  mind  ;  and  therefore,  although  Jits 
of  it  may  be  indulged  frequently,  the  intervals 
of  it  are  often  employed  in  re-examining  the 
grounds  of  hope,  and  admitting  a  *'  may  be," 
or  "  peradventure,"  of  salvation.  The  question, 
*'  Who  can  tell  ?"  occasionally  leads  away 
the  thoughts  from  the  dark  side  to  the  bright 
side  of  it,  and  fixes  them  there  long  enough  to 
brighten  them  a  little.  And  although  it  seems, 
to  the  soul,  almost  sinful  to  admit  the  faintest 
ray  of  hope  in  its  own  case,  and  almost  a  duty 
to  banish  it  at  once;  still  it  is  admitted  and 
retained  from  time  to  time,  until  it  gradually 
leads  to  the  resolution  of  inquiring  more  fully 
into  the  way  of  salvation. 

Now,  when  this  is  the  case,  and  the  mind  is 


UPON    THE  CONSCIENCE.  11 

willing  to  examine  the  matter  calmly  and  deli- 
berately, it  is  well  to  begin  with  the  example  of 
Paul ;  for  God  showed  mercy  to  him,  that  he 
might  show  in  him  "  a  pattern  of  all  long-suf- 
fering to  them  who  should  afterwards  believe." 
Besides,  as  the  Law  has  had  the  same  effect  on 
you  which  it  had  on  Paul,  it  certainly  is  not 
impossible  that  the  Gospel  should  have  the 
same  effect  on  you  that  it  had  on  him.  Now, 
you  can  truly  say  with  him  in  the  former  case, 
"  I  was  alive  without  the  law  once;  but  when  the 
commandment  came,  sin  revived,  and  I  died." 
Yes;  you  are  sure  that  you  are  dead  to  all  hope 
of  being  saved  by  the  law  now,  and  that  your 
hearts  are  far  worse  than  you  could  have  ima- 
gined them  to  be.  Well ;  how  did  Paul  act  and 
judge,  when  by  the  law  he  became  dead  to  the 
law  ?  The  shock  which  thus  shook  his  self- 
righteousness  to  death,  must,  you  are  aware, 
have  been  tremendous  !  Accordingly  "  he  was 
three  days  without  sight,  and  neither  did  eat  nor 
drink.''  But  he  prayed  I  Yes  :  neither  his  guilt 
nor  his  misery  led  him  to  restrain  prayer  before 
God;  nor  did  they  prevent  him  from  believing 
the  Gospel,  when  it  was  preached  unto  him  by 


12  THE  WORK    OF   THE    LAW 

Ananias.  He  gave  "  all  acceptation"  to  the 
"saying,"  as  soon  as  he  knew  it  to  be  "  a  faithful 
saying,  that  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to 
save  sinners."  Although  he  felt  himself  to  be 
the  *'  chief"  of  sinners,  he  did  not  hesitate  to 
believe  in  Christ  for  his  own  salvation.  He 
believed  on  Christ,  that  he  might  be  justified  by 
the  faith  of  Christ:  and  being  justified  by  faith, 
he  had  peace  with  God.  Now  this  was  acting 
wisely ;  and  thus  should  all  act,  whose  hopes  of 
salvation  by  the  works  of  the  law,  have  been 
slain  by  the  curse  of  the  law. 

If,  however,  Paul's  case  be  thought  too  pecu- 
liar to  argue  from, — one  thing  is  certain ;  we 
have  the  same  Gospel,  in  the  Scriptures,  which 
reheved  his  mind,  and  became  the  power  of  God 
unto  his  salvation.  Nor  is  this  all :  we  have  also 
the  command  of  God  to  believe  it  for  our  own 
salvation  ;  and  his  express  assurance,  that,  be- 
lieving it  will  save  us.  If,  then,  all  our  old 
hopes  are  crushed  to  death  by  the  law,  why  not 
embrace  the  new  and  better  hopes  which  this 
glorious  Gospel  sets  before  us  ? 

*'  Why  not  ?"  some  are  ready  to  say ;  "  they 
are  not  intended  for  me:    they  belong  to  the 


UPON   THE   CONSCIENCE.  13 

penitent ;  and  my  heart  is  hard  ! — they  belong 
to  the  humble  ;  and  my  heart  is  proud ! — they 
belong  to  the  believing  ;  and  1  cannot  beheve  !" 

Cannot  believe!  Why?  What  is  it* that 
you  cannot  believe?  Let  us  see  what  it  really 
is ;  and  why  you  cannot  believe  it :  for  it  may 
be  that  it  is  something  not  necessary  to  be 
believed  at  present ;  yea,  it  may  be  something 
which  is  not  your  duty  to  believe  just  now. 
Do  not,  therefore,  fly  off  from  the  Gospel  by 
a  hasty  conclusion  that  you  cannot  believe  it : 
you  do  not  seem  to  understand  it  yet ;  and, 
therefore,  the  difficulty  of  believing  it  may  not 
be  so  great  as  you  may  imagine — at  least,  not  of 
the  same  kind  as  you  suppose. 

What,  then,  is  it  that  you  cannot  beheve? 
Yes!  what  is  it?  For  there  is  reason  to  sus- 
pect that  it  is  either  something  which  it  is  not 
necessary  to  begin  with ;  or  something  which 
ought  not  to  be  believed  until  *Uhe  truth"  is 
believed,  with  which  God  has  graciously  con- 
nected the  promise  of  salvation. 

The  answers  to  these  pointed  questions  will 
of  course,  vary  according  to  the  degree  in  which 
those  who  are  interested  in  them  are  acquainted 
c 


14  THE   WORK     OF   THE    LAW 

with  the  current  opinions  and  perplexities  of 
serious  people.  Hence  some  will  say,  **Ah! 
but  I  cannot  believe  that  Christ  died  for  me." 
Now*,  be  not  startled  when  I  say,  *'  No  wonder  ! 
for  how  could  you  believe  what  is  not  re- 
vealed?'' And  it  is  not  revealed  that  he  died 
for  you  individually.  What  is  revealed  is,  that 
he  died  for  sinners ;  and  that  you  do  not  dis- 
believe. But  you  say,  **As  I  cannot  regard 
myself  as  one  of  the  sinners  for  whom  Christ 
died,  my  believing  that  he  died  for  sinners  can 
do  me  no  good."  Why  not  ?  Who  told  you 
that  the  belief  of  this  truth  could  do  you  no 
good  ?  Whoever  told  you  so,  the  Scriptures  did 
not.  They  say  (whatever  you  think),  that  who- 
soever believeth  Jesus  Christ  to  be  the  Son  of 
God,  and  the  only  Saviour,  shall  never  perish, 
but  have  eternal  life  :  yea,  they  warrant  every 
one  who  cordially  believes  these  facts  concern- 
ing Christ,  to  beheve  also  that  Christ  loved  hirrij 
and  gave  himself  for  him. 

This  meets  your  case,  if  you  understood  it : 
but  you  are  prepared  to  start  objections  which 
will  prove  that  you  do  not  understand  it  clearly 
yet.     "Why,"  you  say,   "if  merely  believing 


UPON    THE    CONSCIENCE.  15 

that  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God,  and  the  only 
Saviour,  were  enough  to  warrant  me  to  regard 
myself  as  a  believer,  it  would  follow  that  I  was 
one  even  whilst  I  was  careless;  for  even  then 
I  believed  all  this."  Not  exactly;  for  you 
could  not  have  continued  careless,  if  you  had 
really  believed  it  all.  However,  if  you  will  call 
your  former  opinion  of  Christ,  believing;  it 
was  certainly  not  believing  because  God  had 
spoken  :  for  it  is  evident,  from  your  own  con- 
fessions, that,  whilst  you  were  careless,  you  did 
not  examine  the  law  or  the  Gospel.  If,  there- 
fore, your  opinions  of  the  person  and  work  of 
Christ  happened  to  be,  upon  the  whole,  scrip- 
tural, they  were  so  without  your  knowledge ; 
for  if  you  never  sat  down  to  form  them  by  the 
word  of  God,  it  is  not  owing  to  your  care  that 
they  were  at  all  correct.  Besides,  you  did  not 
believe  what  you  did,  on  the  Divine  authority ; 
but  because  others  believed  it.  Be  honest :  you 
just  believed  what  you  found  current  in  the 
world ;  and  would  have  believed  what  others 
did,  if  it  had  been  the  very  opposite  of  what 
it  is.         Now,   however  this  falling  in   with 


16  THE  WORK    OF   THE    LAW 

public  opinion  may  be  called  believing,  it  cer- 
tainly is  not  believing  God  ;  and  therefore  ought 
not  to  be  appealed  to  in  reply  to  the  scriptural 
fact,  that  the  cordial  belief  of  the  Divine  tes- 
timony concerning  the  person  and  woik  of 
Christ,  is  saving  faith. 

Besides,  that  testimony  is  revealed,  that  it  may 
be  believed  for  the  salvation  of  the  soul  ;  and, 
for  that  purpose,  you  did  not,  you  could  not, 
believe  it,  whilst  you  were  careless.  How  could 
you  ?  Whilst  you  were  without  the  law  in 
your  conscience,  your  hopes  were  alive  without 
the  Gospel.  You  felt  in  no  danger  of  perish- 
ing :  you  took  for  granted  that  you  were  sure 
of  salvation  at  last,  by  some  means.  Whatever, 
therefore,  you  believed  about  Christ  then,  it 
was  not  for  salvation.  Accordingly,  you  never 
thought  so,  nor  at  all  imagined  that  your  opi- 
nions about  the  Saviour  had  any  connection 
with  your  supposed  safety.  What  you  relied 
on  then,  was  the  good  you  were  doing,  or  in- 
tended to  do;  and  not  any  thing  that  Christ 
had  done.  Indeed,  even  now  you  do  not  see 
much    beneficial  connection  between  believing 


UPON    THE   CONSCIENCE.  17 

and  salvation, — I  mean,  you  are  quite  at  a 
loss  to  comprehend  how  the  belief  of  the 
Gospel  can  secure  an  interest  in  the  salvation  of 
God.  On  all  these  accounts,  therefore,  it  is 
wrong,  and  can  only  increase  your  perplexity, 
to  call  your  former  opinions  about  Christ,  belief. 
They  were  like  your  former  opinions  about  the 
law — too  vague  and  superficial  to  affect  your 
heart. 

But  now,  your  belief  of  the  Divine  law  will 
enable  you  to  understand  v/hat  it  is  to  believe 
the  Gospel  aright,  and  to  see  how  faith  in  Christ 
brings  both  hope  and  holiness  into  the  mind. 
You  know  and  feel  that  you  now  believe  the  law 
of  God  :  of  that  you  have  no  doubt ;  and  you 
are  equally  convinced  that  you  neither  believed 
nor  understoodit,  whilst  you  were  careless.  And 
were  any  one  to  tell  you  now,  that  he  had  often 
heard  you  call  it  a  holy  and  just  law,  long  before 
you  began  to  think  seriously  ;  and  were  he  to 
argue  from  this  that  you  believed  it  then,  you 
would  say  at  once,  "  Ah !  these  were  mere  words 
of  course  ;  for  I  never  weighed  their  meaning  :  I 
just  called  the  law  what  others  called  it ;  and  if 
c  2 


18  THE    WORK    OF   THE    LAW 

they  understood  what  they  said,  I  did  not.  If 
ever  I  thought  of  its  hoHness,  it  did  not  convince 
me  that  nothing  short  of  perfect  obedience  could 
meet  its  demands ;  and  whatever  I  thought  of  its 
justice,  I  did  not  beheve  that  I  was  condemned 
by  it.  Now,  as  this  is  the  truth  of  God  concern- 
ing his  law,  it  is  self-evident  that  I  did  not  be- 
lieve, at  that  time,  his  testimony  on  the  subject. 
Indeed,  such  was  my  unbelief  then,  that  I  was  in 
reality  *  without  the  law.'  " 

Thus  you  would  reply  to  any  one  who  at- 
tempted to  confound  your  former  professions 
with  your  present  belief  of  the  law.  Well ;  it  is 
your  present  belief  of  it  that  creates  your  present 
fear  of  perishing,  and  keeps  up  the  conviction  in 
your  mind  that  you  cannot  save  yourself.  Just 
because  you  believe  that  the  Eternal  law  says 
that  you  are  "  condemned  already"  for  what  you 
have  done  against  it,  you  ai  e  afraid ;  and  well 
you  may !  But  now,  the  everlasting  Gospel  de- 
clares as  plainly  what  Christ  has  done  to  satisfy 
the  law,  and  to  redeem  sinners  from  its  curse ; 
and  it  is  just  as  true  that  he  died  to  redeem 
sinners  from  its  curse,  as  that  you  are  under  its 


UPON   TFIE   CONSCIENCE.  19 

curse.  Seeing,  therefore,  you  believe  the  truth 
which  condemns,  why  not  beheve  the  truth  which 
can  save  you  ?  You  need  salvation — you  wish 
for  it ;  and  would  give  worlds  to  obtain  eternal 
redemption  from  the  curse  :  well ;  it  is  offered 
and  promised  to  you,  if  you  will  believe  in  Christ 
for  it ;  for  "  it  is  of  faith,  that  it  might  be  of 
grace." 


CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE. 

No.  II. 
THE    WORK    OF   THE    SPIRIT    ON    THE   HEART. 


There  is  something  so  very  grand  and  solemn 
in  the  bare  idea  of  being  "  taught"  by  the  Holy 
Spirit — "  led"  by  Him — "  quickened"  by  Him 
— '*  born  again"  by  Him  !— that  we  can  hardly 
wonder  that  we  should  feel  both  afraid  and 
unable,  at  first,  to  believe  that  any  change  for 
the  better,  which  we  have  experienced  under  the 
Gospel,  amounts  to  the  work  of  the  Spirit.  For 
to  believe  this,  in  our  own  case,  would  be  to 
admit  that  we  are  really  converted  to  God,  and 
thus  already  the  children  of  God,  and  heirs  of 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.  But  some,  although  no 
longer  what  they  were  in  heart  or  habits,  are  not 
prepared  to  draw  this  conclusion  in  their  own 
case.     Indeed,  it  is  not  at  once,  nor  is  it  often 


THE   WORK    OF   THE    SPIRIT,    &C.         21 

soon,  that  any  one  admits  *«  the  full  assurance  of 
hope"  in  his  own  case.  It  more  frequently  hap- 
pens that  those  who  are  most  renewed  in  the 
spirit  of  their  mind,  are  most  afraid  to  regard 
themselves  as  "  born  again."  It  is  with  the 
serious,  in  regard  to  the  regeneration  of  their 
souls,  as  with  parents,  in  regard  to  the  recovery 
of  an  only  child  from  a  dangerous  illness :  the 
physician  may  pronounce  it  out  of  danger,  and 
the  symptoms  of  convalescence  may  be  self-evi- 
dent to  every  one  but  them,  and  they  may  not 
actually  dispute  the  general  opinion ;  but  having 
again  and  again  given  up  their  darling,  and  felt 
sure  that  it  could  not  recover,  they  are  afraid  of 
flattering  themselves,  and  *'  slow  of  heart  to  be- 
lieve" that  any  signs,  however  good,  are  proofs 
of  safety.  So  it  is  with  those  of  us  who  are 
feelingly  alive  to  the  value  of  our  souls,  and  intent 
on  their  salvation  :  they  may  be  really  *«  passing 
from  death  to  hfe ;"  but  we  are  so  afraid  of  that 
**  death,"  and  so  affected  by  that  "  life,"  that  we 
can  hardly  beHeve  it  possible  that  our  souls  can 
escape  the  former,  or  obtain  the  latter.  It  seems 
too  good  news  to  be  true — too  bright  a  hope  to 
be  admitted  in  our  own  case.     Even  when  we 


22  THE   WORK    OF   THE   SPIRIT 

try  to  admit  it,  or  venture  to  whisper  to  our- 
selves, that  surely  a  Divine  change  is  taking 
place  within  us,  the  thought  creates  such  a  flow 
of  feeling,  and  flutter  of  spirits,  that  we  know  not 
what  to  think  :  and,  being  equally  afraid  of  pre- 
suming or  despairing,  we  come  to  no  final  deter- 
mination ;  but  wait  to  see  how  the  good  work 
will  go  on. 

Now,  it  is  well  to  be  cautious  upon  such  a 
question  as  *'  the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost,^* 
for  all  changes  of  feeling  are  not  Divine  changes. 
Indeed,  there  is  but  too  much  reason  to  fear  that 
many  conclude  too  hastily  in  their  own  favour, 
and  mistake  conviction  for  conversion.  But  whilst 
this  melancholy  fact  should  teach  us  prudence,  it 
should  not  be  allowed  to  divert  us  from  the  ques- 
tion of  our  own  regeneration  :  that  point  can  be 
ascertained  and  settled  upon  scriptural  grounds  ; 
and  therefore  it  ought  no  more  to  be  hushed  up, 
than  to  be  hurried  over.  We  are  "  born  again," 
or  we  are  not ;  and,  as  uncertainty  on  the  point 
can  do  no  good,  it  is  both  our  duty  and  interest 
to  bring  the  matter  to  an  issue. 

Perliaps  the  best  way  of  doing  this  is,  to  re- 
consider the  necessity  of  experiencing  the  work 


ON    THE    HEART.  23 

of  tlie  Spirit,  in  order  that  we  may  see  clearly  the 
consequences  of  being  without  the  Spirit.  "  Now, 
if  any  man  have  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  he  is 
none  of  his."  JVbne  of  his/  Solemn  fact !  None 
of  His  !  Whose,  then,  is  he  who  has  not  the 
Spirit  ?  The  law  says,  *'  He  is  my  prisoner,  and 
under  the  curse,  whether  he  believe  it  or  not." 
Satan  says,  *'  He  is  my  victim,  whether  he  feel 
it  or  not."  The  world  says,  "He  is  my  slave, 
whether  he  own  it  or  not."  Dreadful  condition! 
If  I  am  not  Christ's,  I  am  under  the  curse  of  the 
Eternal  law,  and  in  the  power  of  Satan !  And  I 
am  not  Christ's,  if  I  am  a  stranger  to  the  work 
of  the  Spirit. 

The  moment  we  reflect  thus,  we  feel  that  the 
question,  "  Have  ye  received  the  Holy  Ghost?" 
is  one  which  should  not  be  left  unsettled  from 
year  to  year,  nor  even  from  month  to  month. 
Let  us,  therefore,  put  it  to  ourselves  now,  and 
in  connexion  with  the  solemn  assurance  that  we 
are  not  Christ's,  if  we  have  not  experienced 
something  of  the  work  of  his  Spirit.  And  if,  in 
this  awful  connexion,  there  is  some  danger  of 
admitting  almost  any  thing  to  be  "  the  fruits  of 
the  Spirit,"  rather  tlian  admit  that  we  are  in  the 


24  THE  WORK    OF   THE   SPIRIT 

power  of  Satan,  let  us  pray  earnestly  that  we  may 
not  be  tempted  to  self-deception :  but,  at  the 
same  time,  let  not  that  danger  prevent  nor  in- 
timidate us  from  going  into  the  question ;  for, 
although  a  solemn  one,  it  is  also  a  simple  one, 
if  it  be  kept  close  to  the  word  of  God,  and  not 
mixed  up  with  the  extravagant  or  extraneous 
things,  which  the  fancy  of  some,  and  the  phi- 
losophy of  others,  have  heaped  around  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Now,  one  thing  equally  simple  and  certain  is, 
that  the  office  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  to  glorify  the 
Saviour — to  exalt  and  endear  him  in  our  estima- 
tion. And  whatever  be  the  nature  or  the  degree 
of  the  Spirit's  operations  in  the  mind,  the  design 
of  them  is  to  render  Christ  *'  precious"  to  the 
soul.  If,  therefore,  the  Saviour  is  become  alto- 
gether lovely  in  our  estimation,  and  his  atone- 
ment altogether  dear  to  us — dear,  because  of  its 
glory,  fulness,  freeness,  and  holy  influence, — we 
are  not  altogether  strangers  to  the  work  of  the 
Spirit.  Nor,  if  the  Saviour  is  all  and  all,  in  all 
the  hope  we  cherish,  is  it  of  any  real  consequence 
whether  or  not  the  way  in  which  he  became  so 
to  our  souls,  is  the  same  by  which  others  have 


ON    THE    HEART.  25 

been  led  to  love  him  and  rely  on  him.  The 
real  question  is  not.  How  was  I  brought  to  the 
Saviour  ?  but,  Am  I  brought  to  him  for  pardon 
and  sanctification  ?  Some  have  been  brought 
suddenly,  and  others  gradually,  to  the  Cross  for 
refuge ;  some  have  been  driven  to  it  by  the 
terrors  of  the  law,  and  others  drawn  by  the  ten- 
derness of  the  Lord  ;  some  were  brought  very 
early  in  life,  and  others  very  late  :  but  as  they 
are  all  brought  to  rely  on  Christ  for  a  holy  sal- 
vation, the  difference  of  the  time  and  manner  of 
bringing  them  does  not  affect  their  safety.  Neither 
the  time  nor  the  manner  of  bringino;  sinners  to 
Christ,  but  their  being  brought  to  Christ,  is  the 
cause  of  their  salvation.  Paul's  conversion  was 
sudden  and  miraculous  ;  Timothy's  was  gradual, 
and  the  effect  of  an  early  religious  education  : 
but  Timothy  was  as  safe  as  Paul,  when  like  Paul, 
he  laid  hold  on  Christ  for  eternal  life.  And 
if  the  heart  of  the  Philippian  jailor,  instead  of 
being  as  it  were  torn  open  by  terror,  had  been 
"  opened"  as  the  heart  of  Lydia  was,  gently  as  a 
rose-bud  is  unfolded  by  the  sun,  the  jailor  would 
have  found  the  same  welcome  at  the  Cross  which 
she  did;   In  like  manner,  had  Lydia  beeii  plunged 

D 


26  THE   WORK    OF   THE    SPIRIT 

into  despair,  as  he  was  at  first,  it  would  liave 
availed  her  nothing,  if  she  had  not,  like  him, 
fled  to  Christ.  It  was,  therefore,  not  that  in 
which  their  experience  differed,  but  that  in 
which  it  agreed — their  reliance  on  Christ  alone, 
which  secured  their  welcome  and  safety.  Paul 
understood  this  ;  and,  accordingly,  he  did  not 
reckon  Lydia  nor  Timothy  less  truly  converted 
to  God,  than  the  jailor  or  himself;  nor  did  they 
themselves  doubt  their  own  conversion,  because 
the  manner  of  it  differed  from  his.  In  common 
with  all  saints,  they  were  glorying  only  in  the 
Cross  of  Christ ;  and  as  they  knew  that  to  be  the 
only  refuge,  and  a  certain  refuge  to  all  who  fled 
to  it,  they  kept  to  it,  without  any  reference  to 
the  way  in  which  othei's  were  brought  to  it. 

Now,  as  there  was  such  a  marked  and  im- 
mense difference  in  the  manner  of  their  conver- 
sion, similar  differences  may  be  expected  still  ; 
and,  as  in  their  case,  without  at  all  invalidating 
the  reality  of  the  conversion  itself.  For,  in  our 
case  also,  the  real  question  of  experience  on  this 
point  is — Is  Christ  become  all  my  salvation  ?  and 
7iot,  Have  I  felt  all  the  alarm  and  horror  of  soul 
which  some  have  experienced  ?     For,  if  I  have 


ON    THE    HEART.  27 

felt  that,  whatever  it  was,  which  has  led  me  to 
commit  my  soul  to  Christ  for  salvation,  I  could 
have  done  nothing  more  than  this,  whatever  I 
had  felt.  They  have  done  nothing  more,  who 
have  suffered  most :  and  although,  of  course,  the 
terrors  of  conscience  led  them  to  commit  their 
souls  into  the  hands  of  Christ  with  more  prompt- 
ness and  solemnity  than  I  did ;  still,  if  1  did  it 
with  sincerity^  my  welcome  is  equally  sure  :  for, 
after  all,  it  is  the  sincerity  of  faith  in  Him,  and 
not  the  strength  of  feeling,  which  ensures  a 
welcome ;  and  what  has  been  done  deliberately, 
is  quite  as  likely  to  be  sincere  as  what  is  done 
under  alarm.  In  both  cases,  it  is  the  sincerity 
of  the  application  to  Christ,  which  constitutes  it 
faith  in  him. 

But  some  are  ready  to  say,  "  Alas  !  I  am  not 
sure  that  I  was  sincere  in  committing  ray  soul  to 
Christ  for  salvation.'*  Now,  certainly,  if  you  are 
not  sure  of  your  own  sincerity,  no  one  else  can 
prove  it  to  you.  The  utmost  that  any  one  can  do 
to  help  you  on  this  point,  is  to  show  you  what 
sincerity  is  :  and  really  that  seems  unnecessary. 
For  if  you  did  not  intend  to  be  insincere  when 
you  applied  to  the  Saviour,  and  if  you  do  not 


28  THE   WORK    OF  THE   SPIRIT 

wish  to  be  insincere,  nor  design  to  be  so,  why 
should  you  suspect  your  sincerity  ?  No  one  can 
be  a  hypocrite,  or  a  pretender,  without  designing 
to  be  so  :  and  therefore,  most  certainly  you  are 
not  so,  if  you  dislike  to  be  so. 

Thus  far  I  have  confined  your  attention  to  the 
first  saving  result  of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
on  the  mind, — which  is,  to  render  the  Saviour 
"  precious"  in  our  esteem.  Lest,  however,  this 
view  of  his  work  should  be  too  general,  let  us 
examine  the  Saviour's  own  account  of  the  matter. 
Now,  when  he  gave  a  detailed  account  of  the 
work  of  the  Spirit,  he  said. 

First,  "  He  shall  convince  the  world  of  sin  : 
of  sin,  because  they  beheve  not  on  me."  Well, 
what  do  you  think  of  unbelief  ?  what  is  your 
opinion  of  it } — I  do  not  mean,  of  its  abstract 
nature  ;  nor  do  I  refer  to  Infidelity,  or  its  twin 
"  wandering  star,"  Unitarianism  ;  but  to  the 
practical  unbelief  which  we  manifested  whilst 
we  were  careless  or  heartless  in  rehgion.  Now, 
what  do  you  think  of  the  time  when  you  lived  as 
if  there  had  been  no  Saviour,  or  as  if  you  had 
been  in  no  want  of  a  Saviour  ?  That  was  unbe- 
lief!     What  do  you  think  of  the  temper  which 


ON    THE    HEART.  29 

inclined  you  to  care  nothing  about  an  interest  in 
Christ,  and  kept  you  from  considering  your  need 
of  it  ?  That  was  unbelief !  What  do  you  think 
of  those  habits  and  pursuits  which  were  allowed 
to  banish  all  serious  concern  about  the  salvation 
of  your  soul  ?  What  is  your  present  opinion  and 
feeling  in  regard  to  all  this  unbelieving  treat- 
ment of  the  Saviour  ?  Should  you  like  to  renew 
it,  and  to  return  to  your  old  state  of  mind  ?  No ! 
you  are  as  much  shocked  at  the  idea  of  going 
back  to  such  feelings  and  habits,  as  you  are 
ashamed  of  having  ever  felt  and  acted  such  a 
part.  Your  long  and  base  neglect  of  the  Lamb 
of  God  pains  and  humbles  you  whenever  you 
think  of  it ; — it  was  so  unreasonable,  unwise, 
and  unkind  !  You  both  wonder  and  weep  that 
you  could  have  lived  as  if  Emanuel  had  never 
died  !  This  sin  sits  heavier  at  times,  on  your 
conscience,  than  any  other  ;  and  makes  you  feel 
and  confess  that  the  Saviour  might  justly  reject 
you. 

Well,  if  this  be  your  experience  on  the  subject 

of  unbelief,  what  is  all  this  but  conviction  of  the 

«*  sin"  of  unbelief;  and  that,  too,  by  the  work 

of  the  Holy  Spirit  ?     For  what  else  could  have 

c  2 


30  THE   WORK    OF   THE  SPIRIT 

brought  you  to  judge  and  feel  thus  ?  The  seeds 
of  these  proper  sentiments  and  feelings  were  not 
born  with  you  :  they  must  therefore  have  been 
sown  in  your  hearts ;  and,  as  the  hand  of  nature 
never  contained  them,  they  must  have  been  sown 
by  the  hand  of  the  Spirit.  For,  as  Satan  would 
not  have  led  you  into  this  new  state  of  mind, 
and  as  the  world  could  not,  and  you  did  not  lead 
yourself  into  it,  it  must  be  from  God.  Yes,  from 
God, — however  unable  you  may  be  to  trace  its 
connexion  with  likely  means.  The  means,  what- 
ever they  were,  were  but  means ;  and  have  not 
produced  the  same  effect  upon  all  who  were 
under  the  same  means  as  yourself.  Besides,  if 
this  change  in  your  views  and  feelings  be  not,  at 
least,  the  beginning  of  a  Divine  change,  what 
would  be  so  ?  It  is  self-evident,  that  no  change 
would  be  saving,  which  did  not  include  shame 
and  sorrow  for  having  neglected  the  Saviour. 
Not  to  be  convinced  of  the  sin  of  unbelief,  would 
falsify  any  and  all  other  appearances  of  regene- 
ration. If,  therefore,  you  have  experienced  that, 
without  which  all  other  experience  would  be 
useless,  it  is  certain  that  you  are  not  altogether 
without  the  Spirit. 


ON    THE    HEART.  31 

Nor  is  this  all.  You  may  not  have  observed 
it,  but,  on  examination,  you  will  find  that  all 
your  most  solid  and  solemn  convictions  of  the 
evil  and  demerit  of  sin  in  general,  have  been 
formed  or  confirmed  by  what  the  Spirit  has 
shown  you  of  the  Saviour.  For  it  is  with  the 
disease  of  the  soul  as  with  some  of  the  diseases 
of  the  body, — it  is  the  remedy  which  discovers 
its  real  nature  and  extent.  A  man  may  feel 
rather  unwell,  and  yet  not  be  alarmed  by  his 
symptoms  ;  but  if  a  judicious  physician  prescribe, 
after  examining  them,  a  remedy  which  is  known 
to  be  resorted  to  only  in  desperate  cases,  it  is  the 
remedy,  not  the  symptoms,  as  the  patient  judged 
of  them,  that  opens  his  eyes  to  his  danger.  He 
thought  himself  ill  enough  to  require  something ; 
but  when  he  found  that  the  last  resource  of  medi- 
cal skill  was  the  only  thing  which  could  save  his 
life,  then  his  disorder  appeared  to  him  in  a  new 
light,  and  awoke  all  his  fears.  Now,  so  it  is  with 
the  soul :  it  is  the  remedy  for  the  guilt  and  de- 
filement of  sin,  which  shows  the  evil  and  danger 
of  sin.  We  may  have  a  general  conviction  of 
both,  by  observing  how  God  abhors  sin,  and 
threatens  to  punish  it;   and   we  may  see,  with 


32  THE  WORK    OF  THE   SPIRIT 

some  clearness  and  alarm,  that  we  are  in  some 
danger  from  our  sins ;  and  we  may  feel  per- 
suaded that  it  is  necessary  to  try  something  to 
prevent  sin  from  being  our  ruin :  but  it  is  not 
until  we  see  that  "  the  blood  of  ChrisV  is  the 
only  remedy,  that  we  either  understand  or  feel 
aright  the  evil  of  sin.  It  is,  therefore,  chiefly 
and  emphatically  by  presenting  the  Lamb  slain 
to  the  mind,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  effectually  con- 
vinces of  sin.  And  this  is  conviction!  For, 
what  a  sight  it  gives  us  of  our  case  and  character  ! 
Yes  ;  of  our  case,  even  if  our  character  stand  high 
by  comparison.  For,  as  there  is  only  one  Saviour, 
and  he  the  incarnate  Son  of  God ;  and  only  one 
way  of  salvation,  and  it  by  faith  in  the  blood  of 
that  Son  ;  what  must  sin  be,  seeing  that  none  but 
Emanuel  could  atone  for  it,  and  he  only  by 
dying  for  it !  Whatever,  therefore,  I  may  think 
of  my  character,  my  case  is  this, — as  a  sinner, 
there  is  nothing  between  me  and  hell  but  the 
blood  of  Christ.  I  may  not  have  done  so  much 
evil  as  some ;  but  as  there  is  no  pardon  for 
any  sin  but  through  the  Cross,  I  must  be  lost,  in 
common  with  the  chief  of  sinners,  unless  I  obtain 
the  remission  of  my  sins  through  his  blood. 


ON    THE    HEART.  33 

This  solemn  consideration  sends  through  all 
the  soul  the  solemn  conviction,  that  sin  is  an 
evil  which  we  neither  understand  clearly  nor  feel 
deeply,  until  we  really  believe  the  divine  testi- 
mony concerning  the  person  and  icork  of  Christ. 
Whilst  we  did  not  believe  on  him,  that  we  might 
be  justified  by  him,  our  views  of  the  evil  and 
danger  of  sin  were  slight  and  partial ;  but  now 
that  we  feel  that  we  must  look  to  the  Lamb  slain 
for  all  our  salvation,  or  perish  for  ever,  we  cannot 
think  lightly  of  sin.  Well,  what  is  this  convic- 
tion of  sin,  but  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
the  mind  ?  Yes  !  the  first  work  which  he  is  ap- 
pointed to  by  the  constitution  of  the  covenant ! 
And  yet,  even  this  conviction  of  sin  some  are 
discouraged  by,  and  actually  interpret  it  into  a 
token  of  Divine  anger,  although  it  be  in  itself  a 
token  of  Divine  love,  a  first-fruit  of  the  Spirit, 
and  a  mark  of  sowing  faith  too :  for  no  one  could 
think  thus  of  sin,  who  did  not  believe  Christ  to 
be,  and  to  have  done,  what  God  testifies. 

But  I  will  not  hurry  on  this  conclusion  too 
fast.  It  is  desirable  to  meet  distinctly  the  case 
of  those  who,  by  a  strange  mistake,  imagine  that 
their  anguish  of  soul,  on  account  of  sin,  is  in- 


34  THE   WORK    OF   THE    SPIRIT 

flicted  upon  them  in  anger,  and  arises  from  God 
having  left  them  to  suffer  the  consequences  of 
sin.  Some  have  even  regarded  this  anguish  as 
a  foretaste  of  hell  on  earth.  But  consider, — was 
it  in  anger  that  God  let  loose  upon  the  Jews,  at 
Pentecost,  all  the  stings  of  conscience,  until  they 
were  *'  cut  to  the  heart;"  literally  *'  sawn  asun- 
der ?"  Was  it  intended  as  a  forerunner  of  "  the 
worm  that  dieth  not,"  when  the  arrows  of  the 
Almighty  drank  up  their  spirits  ?  No  !  they, 
perhaps,  thought  so  for  a  time,  and  during  all 
that  part  of  Peter's  sermon  which  was  like  the 
thunder,  the  earthquake,  and  the  whirlwind  at 
Horeb ;  but  when  "  the  small  still  voice"  of 
mercy,  through  the  blood  of  the  Saviour  whom 
they  had  murdered,  broke  like  the  music  of 
heaven  on  their  ears, — then  they  saw,  that  God 
wounded  only  that  he  might  effectually  heal  them; 
and  cast  them  down,  that  he  might  lift  them  up, 
for  ever.  Now,  why  should  it  not  be  so  in  the 
case  of  "those  who,  like  them,  have  been,  as  it 
were,  "sawn  asunder"  by  self-condemnation? 
You  are  not  guiltier  than  the  murderers  of  the 
Lord  of  glory,  and  therefore,  although  that  fact 
gives  you  no  claim  upon  mercy,  it  proves  that 


ON    THE   HEART.  35 

your  guilt,  whatever  it  is,  is  not  beyond  the  reach 
of  mercy.  Indeed,  God  could  have  done  nothing 
better  for  you,  than  thus  to  convict  you  of  sin : 
for,  is  it  not  an  answer  to  your  own  prayers? 
You  have  prayed  that  he  would  make  you  sen- 
sible of  your  -need  of  a  Saviour,  and  empty  you 
of  self-dependence  :  and,  therefore,  whatever  you 
meant  by  this,  your  convictions  of  sin  form  the 
best  answer  to  your  supplications.  "  The  whole" 
know  not  "  their  need  of  a  physician  ;"  and,  as 
God  has  made  you  to  feel  your  sickness,  the  fair 
interpretation  is,  that  he  desires  and  designs  to 
heal  you.  Do  not,  therefore,  recklessly  or  rashly 
conclude  that  you  are  given  up,  because  you  are 
thus  given  over,  for  a  time,  to  the  terrors  of  the 
law,  and  the  stings  of  the  conscience.  God  is 
thus,  for  any  thing  you  know  to  the  contrary, 
bringing  you,  "through  fire  and  water,  to  a 
wealthy  place." 

Having  thus  seen  that  the  first  work  of  the 
Spirit  is  to  convince  of  sin,  and  that  the  expe- 
rience we  have  just  reviewed  is  conviction  of 
sin  ;  let  us  now  observe  the  second  part  of  the 
work  of  the  Spirit,  and  examine  what  you  have 
felt  of  it,     "  He  shall  convince  of  righteousness^ 


36  THE   WORK    OF   THE    SPRIT 

because  I  go  to  my  Father. ^^  At  the  first  sight 
of  these  words,  you  may  be  ready  to  say,  "  I  am 
sure  that  I  have  experienced  nothing  of  this ;  for 
1  do  not  know  even  what  it  means.'*''  Perhaps 
not ;  and  yet  you  may  be  familiar  with  the  senti- 
ment itself,  although  this  mode  of  expressing  it 
be  mysterious  to  you.  In  fact,  you  must  not  be 
startled  by  words :  for,  as  you  have  only  begun 
to  acquaint  yourself  with  the  Scriptures,  it  is  only 
what  might  be  expected,  if  you  meet  with  expres- 
tions  which  are  not,  at  once,  plain  to  you.  They 
are,  however,  quite  plain  to  those  who  have  con- 
sidered them  longer;  and  the  meaning  of  this  one 
is  not  unknown  to  you,  if  you  understand  any 
thing  of  the  Gospel.  Accordingly,  I  am  not  at 
all  afraid  of  really  discouraging  or  perplexing 
you,  when  I  affirm,  that  if  you  are  not  convinced 
of  "  righteousness,"  you  "  have  not  the  Spirit  of 
Christ;'*  for,  are  you  not  fully  convinced  that 
Christ  could  not  have  gone  back  to  the  Father, 
if  his  obedience  and  death  had  not  wrought  out 
and  brought  in  an  *'  everlasting  righteousness?" 
You  are  persuaded  and  sure  that  God  would  not 
have  raised  him  from  the  dead,  nor  exalted  him 
to  the  throne,  if  he  had  failed  to  satisfy  law  or 


ON    THE    HEART.  37 

justice.  You  therefore  regard  the  resurrection 
and  ascension  of  the  Saviour  as  proofs  of  the 
perfection  and  acceptance  of  his  atonement.  Ac- 
cordingly, were  any  one  to  insinuate  that  he  had 
not  magnified  the  law  and  satisfied  the  justice  of 
God,  you  would  appeal  with  triumph  to  the  fact, 
that  he  is  now  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  as  a 
Lamb  that  had  been  slain  ;  and  say,  that  he  could 
not  be  there,  if  he  had  not  "  finished"  his  me- 
diatorial work  here.  Well,  this  is  the  real  and 
full  meaning  of  the  expression,  *«  of  righteous- 
ness, because  I  go  to  my  Father."  The  Saviour's 
return  to  the  bosom  of  the  Father  demonstrates 
that  both  his  person  and  work  were  really  what 
he  had  declared  them  to  be,  divine  and  atoning. 
Besides,  you  are  persuaded  in  your  inmost  soul 
that  nothing  but  the  righteousness  of  Christ  can 
justify  you  before  God;  and  that  it  can  do  so ; 
and  accordingly  you  have  adopted  the  sentiment 
of  Paul,  and  '*  count  all  things  but  loss,  that  you 
may  be  found  not  in  your  own  righteousness,  but 
in  the  righteousness"  of  Christ.  Well,  this  was 
a  proof  in  Paul's  case,  that  he  was  convinced  "of 
righteousness"  by  the  Spirit :  why  then  should 
not  a  similar  sentiment  prove  the  same  fact  in 

E 


38         THE  WORK    OF  THE    SPIRIT,    &C. 

your  case  ?  Paul  may  have  understood  it  better, 
and  felt  it  more  deeply,  than  you  do  at  present ; 
but  if  it  has  withdrawn  all  your  confidence  from 
your  own  righteousness,  and  convinced  you  that 
nothing  can  save  you  but  the  righteousness  of 
Christ,  this  is  the  substance  of  Paul's  experience 
on  the  subject. 


CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE, 

No.  III. 
THE  WITNESS  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 


It  is  as  true,  that  if  any  man  have  the  Spirit 
of  Christ,  he  is  Christ's,  as  that  "  if  any  man 
have  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ  he  is  none  of  his  :" 
"  for  as  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God, 
they  are  the  sons  of  God  :" — "  and  if  children, 
then  heirs;  heirs  of  God,  and  joint  heirs  with 
Christ."  It  is  therefore  the  duty  of  all  who  have 
been  "  led  by  the  Spirit,"  to  believe  this  in  their 
own  case,  because  they  are  warranted  and  wel- 
come to  do  so,  and  cannot  until  they  believe  it 
in  their  own  case,  experience  "the  witness,"  or 
«  the  seal"  of  the  Spirit.  Indeed  "  the  fruits  of 
the  Spirit"  will  be  both  few  and  imperfect  until 
it  is  believed. 

Accordingly,  many  who  can  hardly  doubt  that 
they  have  experienced  something  of  the  work  of 
the  Spirit  on  their  minds,  are  afraid  to  regard  it 


40  THE   WITNESS 

as  that  "  good  work"  which  he  will  '* carry  on;" 
because  they  do  not  feel  the  witness  of  the  Spirit, 
nor  the  joy  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Hence  the  ques- 
tion which  they  put  to  themselves  so  often — 
"  How  can  T  think  that  what  I  have  experi- 
enced is  the  saving  work  of  the  Spirit,  seeing 
that  I  feel  nothing  of  the  witness,  the  seal,  or  the 
earnest  of  the  Spirit  ?  The  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is 
joy  and  peace,  as  well  as  *  temperance  and  good- 
ness ;'  and  as  I  have  no  joy,  and  but  little  peace, 
is  it  not  likely  that  all  the  change  which  I  have 
undergone  is  merely  the  effect  of  the  common 
operations  of  the  Spirit,  instead  of  being  the  ef- 
fect of  his  special  influences  ?"  Thus  many  of 
the  truly  serious  argue  in  their  own  case. 

In  order  to  clear  up  this  matter,  the  first  thing 
to  be  settled  is,  evidently,  whether  the  change  of 
views,  feelings,  and  habits,  which  you  have  ex- 
perienced, is  a  divine  change.  Now  it  must  be 
either  divine  or  human.  But  if  you,  as  a  self- 
condemned  and  perishing  sinner,  are  looking  to 
Christ  alone  for  a  holy  salvation ;  if  you  are 
willing  and  desirous  to  be  an  entire  and  eter- 
nal debtor  to  Him,  and  to  be  made  like  Him 
in  heart  and  character,  this  change  from  your 


OF   THE   SPIRIT.  41 

former  state  of  mind  cannot  be  a  human  change, 
because  no  human  means  could  produce  it.  No- 
thing human  ever  brought  any  soul  to  feel  that 
there  was  nothing  between  it  and  perishing,  but 
the  blood  of  Christ.  All  the  tendencies  of  nature 
are  against  this  conviction.  Wherever,  therefore, 
it  is  the  conviction  of  the  mind,  it  is  the  special 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Now,  if  this  be  the 
change  of  mind  which  you  have  undergone,  it  is, 
unquestionably,  a  divine  change  ;  and,  as  unques- 
tionably, it  is  your  duty  to  believe  it  to  be  so. 
You  may  say,  "  I  am  afraid  to  conclude  that  I 
have  been  led  by  the  Spirit:"  but  if  you  are 
come  to  the  word  of  God  for  counsel — to  the 
mercy-seat  for  grace — and  to  the  Cross  for  all 
your  salvation  from  sin  and  hell, — none  but  the 
Holy  Spirit  could  have  led  you  there.  Those 
are  the  grand  points  to  which  he  leads  all  whom 
he  quickens.  This  is  the  very  way  in  which  he 
glorifies  the  Saviour.  Settle  it,  therefore,  in  your 
mind,  from  this  moment,  that  your  reliance  on 
the  Lamb  slain  for  a  holy  salvation,  is  absolute 
proof  of  having  been  *'  led"  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Or,  if  you  still  hesitate  to  admit  this  in  your  own 
case,  do  ask  yourself,  and  fairly  ansvver  the  ques- 
e2 


42  THE    WITNESS 

tion,  Would  any  thing  be  proof  without  these 
sentiments  and  feelings  ?  Do  you  not  see  that 
nothing  would  amount  to  a  saving  change,  if  this 
holy  reliance  on  the  Saviour  were  not  in  it  ?  It 
is  evidently  the  chief  thmg  in  regeneration. 

Now,  if  you  can  neither  deny  nor  doubt  that 
you  have  been  thus  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God, 
from  the  love  of  sin  to  the  love  of  salvation,  it 
is  your  immediate  duty,  as  well  as  privilege,  to 
believe  that  you  are  Christ's,  and  a  child  of  God 
by  Jesus  Christ.  But  here  again,  you  fly  off  from 
the  scriptural  conclusion  in  your  own  case,  and 
say,  I  do  not  feel  myself  to  be  Christ's ;  I  do  not 
feel  myself  to  be  a  child  of  God."  But,  con- 
sider ;  how  can  you  feel  yourself  to  be  so,  while 
you  do  not  believe  that  you  are  so  ?  It  is  irra- 
tional to  expect  that  you  could  feel  what  you  dis- 
believe. The  feeling  of  sonship  must  spring  from 
the  belief  of  your  own  sonship.  No  man  can  have 
the  Spirit  of  adoption,  so  as  to  be  fully  aware  of 
having  it,  until  he  believe  that  he  is  adopted.  Ac- 
cordingly, it  is  because  believers  are  sons,  that 
God  sends  forth  the  Spirit  of  his  Son  into  their 
hearts,  **  crying,  Abba  Father."  This  seal  of 
the  Spirit,  like  the  pentecostal  gifts  of  the  Spirit, 


OF   THE    SPIRIT.  43 

may  not  be  given  at  once  :  it  may  be  delayed 
much  longer  than  the  full  inspiration  of  the 
Apostles  was ;  but  the  Spirit  of  adoption  will 
be  sent  forth,  and,  whenever  it  is  so,  it  will 
be  by  enabling  believers  to  believe  that  they 
"  are  all  the  children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ 
Jesus." 

You  may  not  have  observed  hitherto,  that  this 
is  the  scriptural  way  of  leading  believers  into  the 
glorious  liberty  of  the  sons  of  God.  Indeed  many 
seem  to  look  for  it  in  another  way,  and  to  expect 
something  like  a  revelation  of  their  own  adoption 
and  sonship.  They  do  not  see,  from  the  Scrip- 
tures, that  they  are  the  children  of  God  by  faith  ; 
and,  therefore,  they  take  for  granted  that  their 
knowledge  of  their  own  sonship  must  come  from 
another  quarter — even  from  the  direct  witness  of 
the  Spirit  with  their  spirits,  that  they  are  born  of 
God.  Accordingly,  for  this  direct  witness,  they 
are  praying,  and  waiting,  and  hoping.  Thus 
many  have  been  judging  and  acting  for  years. 
They  know  that  until  they  are  the  children  of 
God,  they  are  not  "  heirs  of  God,"  nor  "  joint 
heirs  with  Christ;"  and,  as  might  be  expected, 
they  are  often  cast  down  because  they  obtain  no 


44     •  THE   WITNESS 

clear  sense  of  their  own  sonship.  The  witness 
which  they  look  for,  and  pray  for,  does  not  come; 
and  therefore  they  imagine  that  it  is  withheld  in 
sovereignty,  or  kept  back  until  they  shall  acquire 
more  of  the  marks  of  adoption.  And,  as  they 
see  in  themselves  many  causes  why  God  should 
not  answer  their  prayers  for  the  witness  of  the 
Spirit,  they  try  to  be  content  without  it  for  a  time. 

Now  it  is  no  mistake,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  will 
not  witness  to  the  sonship  of  any  child  of  God, 
who  is  living  in  the  indulgence  of  any  known  sin: 
it  is  no  mistake,  that  the  witness  of  the  Spirit  is 
only  given  in  answer  to  prayer:  it  is  no  mistake, 
that  there  is  a  direct  witness  of  the  Spirit.  **  These 
are  the  true  sayings  of  God  P' 

But  slili  there  is  a  mistake ;  and  it  lies  in  sup- 
posing that  the  direct  witness  of  the  Spirit  is 
something  different  from  the  direct  witness  of 
the  Word.  It  is  also  a  mistake  to  suppose,  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  either  will  or  can  witness  to  our 
sonship,  before  our  own  spirit  witness  to  our 
having  really  believed  on  Christ  for  salvation. 
Neither  the  Spirit  of  God,  nor  the  Word  of  God, 
bears  any  witness  to  our  adoption,  until  our  own 
spirit  is  conscious  o^  faith  in  Christ. 


OF   THE   SPIRIT.  45 

It  is  by  leaving  the  question  of  personal  faith 
unsettled,  that  so  many  both  miss  and  mistake 
the  witness  of  the  Spirit.  They  allow  it  to  re- 
main doubtful  to  themselves,  or  are  afraid  to  de- 
cide, whether  their  own  believing  in  Christ  is 
saving  faith  or  not.  They  wish  it  to  be  so — pray 
that  it  may  be  so — and  cherish  a  faint  hope  that 
it  may  prove  to  be  so  in  the  end ;  but,  at  present, 
they  do  not  venture  to  regard  their  own  believing 
as  real  faith.  Their  own  spirit  does  not  bear  them 
witness  that  it  is  so.  Now,  while  this  continues 
to  be  the  case,  they  must  search  their  own  hearts 
in  vain  for  the  witness,  or  for  the  peculiar  fruits 
of  the  Spirit ;  for  these  are  peculiar  to  believers. 
Until,  therefore,  your  own  spirit  witness  that  you 
are  a  believer,  the  Spirit  of  God  will  not,  cannot, 
witness  that  you  are  a  child  of  God ;  you  must 
not,  therefore,  shrink  from  going  fully  into  the 
question  of  your  own  faith.  It  is,  indeed,  a  solemn 
one,  and  not  easily  settled,  owing  to  the  many 
controversies  which  exist  on  the  subject  of  faith  ; 
but  still  it  may  be  settled,  and  therefore  it  should 
not  be  left  unsettled,  especially  as  you  can  make 
no  progress  towards  joy  or  peace,  until  you  know 
yourself  to  be  a  believer  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


46  THE    WITNESS 

Let  us,  therefore,  go  into  the  question  calmly  and 
seriously. 

Now,  your  own  spirit,  although  it  does  not  bear 
you  witness  that  you  are  really  a  believer,  wit- 
nesses somethhig  on  the  subject  of  salvation  by 
the  blood  of  Christ.  It  bears  you  witness  that  you 
are  no  longer  indifferent  about  this  way  of  salva- 
tion, nor  seeking  to  be  saved  in  any  other  way. 
It  is  even  the  persuasion  of  your  spirit  that  there 
is  no  other  way.  You  feel  also  in  your  inmost 
soul,  that  unless  you  obtain  an  interest  in  Christ, 
you  must  perish ;  and,  whatever  you  may  think  of 
his  willingness  to  save  you,  your  whole  spirit  is  fully 
persuaded  that  Jesus  is  able  to  save  you.  So  far 
your  own  spirit  witnesses  without  hesitation  or  re- 
serve. Well ;  so  far  you  are  evidently  not  an  un- 
believer. All  this  is  not  all  the  truth  concerning 
either  the  person  or  the  work  of  Christ ;  but  it  is 
some  of  it.  It  is,  at  least,  the  hearty  belief  of  this 
part  of  the  Gospel — that  there  is  no  other  name 
given  under  heaven,  whereby  we  can  be  saved, 
but  the  name  of  Jesus.  It  is  also  the  hearty  be- 
lief, that  Jesus  is  able  to  save  unto  the  uttermost, 
all  that  come  unto  him.  It  is  also  the  hearty  be- 
lief, that  by  the  works  of  the  law,  no  flesh  living 


OF    THE   SPIRIT.  47 

can  be  justified.  All  these  things  are  the  living 
and  settled  convictions  of  your  mind,  as  well  as 
the  express  words  of  God;  and,  knowing  that 
you  did  not  always  believe  these  things  fully, 
you  are  almost  persuaded  that  your  strong  con- 
viction of  their  truth  is  from  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  on  your  mind. 

You  do,  then,  accede  to  all  this,  as  being  the 
witness  of  your  own  spirit  ?  Well ;  that  witness 
is  proof  that  thus  far  you  are  not  an  unbeliever. 
Let  this,  then,  be  a  settled  point.  And  now,  carry 
the  inquiry  farther  into  the  witness  of  your  own 
spirit.  Does  your  mind  or  conscience  charge  you 
with  disbelieving  any  part  of  the  divine  testimony 
concerning  the  person  or  the  work  of  Christ  ?  The 
substance  of  that  testimony  is,  that  Christ  is  God 
manifested  in  the  flesh,  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin.  Now, 
if  you  disbelieve  this,  it  is  a  matter  of  no  conse- 
quence what  else  you  believe.  It  is  not,  however, 
disbelief  of  it,  to  be  unable  to  comprehend  it  fully. 
It  is  the  great  mystery  of  godliness,  and  therefore 
faith  has  to  do  with  the  fact,  not  with  the  nature 
of  the  union  of  divinity  and  humanity,  in  the  per- 
son of  the  Saviour.  What,  then,  is  the  witness 
of  your  spirit  to  this  fact  ?     If  you  are  conscious 


48  THE   WITNESS 

that  you  believe  it,  on  the  authority  of  God,  to 
be  the  fact,  thus  far  also  you  are  evidently  not  an 
unbeliever:  for  what  more  could  you,  or  indeed 
any  one,  do  with  it,  than  believe  it  to  be  the 
truth  of  God  ?  Perhaps  you  are  ready  to  say, 
that  you  never  doubted  the  divinity  or  the  atone- 
ment of  the  Saviour ;  and  that,  as  you  believe  no 
more  now  than  what  you  did  while  you  v/ere  care- 
less, you  cannot  reckon  your  present  believing  real 
faith.  Well;  what  do  you  reckon  it?  Unbelief? 
It  certainly  is  not  that,  if  words  have  any  mean- 
ing. It  may  be  weak  faith,  but  it  cannot  be  un- 
belief, if  it  embrace  the  truths  which  you  say  it 
does.  And  as  to  your  having  believed,  while 
careless,  all  that  you  do  now,  it  is  unreasonable 
and  unwise  to  think  so  for  a  moment.  It  was 
not  believing  with  the  heart,  nor  for  the  purpose 
for  which  the  Son  of  God  became  incarnate,  and 
was  crucified ;  and  therefore  it  was  the  worst  kind 
of  unbelief.  Whereas,  if  you  now  rest  all  your 
hope  of  salvation  upon  the  atonement,  because 
you  believe  that  the  divinity  of  Christ  rendered 
his  death  a  glorious  atonement;  this  is  faith. 
Words  have  no  meaning,  if  this  be  not  faith. 
You  might  as  well  call  light  darkness,  as  con- 


OF   THE    SPIRIT.  49 

sider  this  unbelief  You  are  not  an  unbeliever, 
if  your  spirit  bear  you  witness  that  you  embrace 
whatever  God  has  testified  concerning  the  person 
and  work  of  his  Son. 

You  are  now,  if  you  regard  this  grand  point  as 
settled  in  your  own  case,  in  the  direct  way  to  ob- 
tain the  witness  of  the  Spirit  to  your  own  adop- 
tion. And  the  first  thing  you  want  in  order  to 
this  is,  to  be  enabled  to  see  and  believe  the  con- 
nexion there  is  between  faith  in  Christ,  and  your 
being  a  child  of  God.  Now,  faith  and  sonship 
are  inseparably  connected  in  the  word  of  God. 
Hence  the  express  declaration  concerning  Christ 
and  believers  :  "  Unto  as  many  as  received  him, 
gave  he  power  to  become  the  sons  of  God  ;  even 
to  them  that  believe  on  his  name  ;' '  that  is,  they 
are  empowered,  or  warranted,  to  regard  them- 
selves as  the  children  of  God.  Accordingly, 
when  Paul  found  the  Galatian  believers  doubt- 
ing, or  misunderstanding  this  warrant,  he  said, 
"  Ye  are  all  the  children  of  God,  by  faith  in 
Christ  Jesus." 

Now,  it  is  to  the  truth  of  this  gracious  con- 
nexion between  faith  and  sonship,  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  witnesses  ;  and  the  chief  part  of  his  witness 

F 


50  THE  WITNESS 

is,  to  show  us  that  it  is  true  in  our  own  case. 
Indeed,  the  whole  of  his  witness  consists  in 
filling,  affecting,  and  influencing  our  spirit  with 
the  sweet  persuasion,  that  it  is  "  the  truth  of 
God,"  that  we  are  warranted  to  believe  our- 
selves the  children  of  God,  because  all  our  faith 
is  in  the  Son  of  God.  This  persuasion  may  vary, 
from  time  to  time,  in  its  fulness,  clearness,  and 
sweetness;  but,  even  when  strongest,  its  true 
glory  is,  that  it  is  true  that  we  are  the  children 
of  God  by  faith.  The  witness  of  the  Spirit  is  not, 
therefore,  different  from  what  the  word  of  God 
witnesses  on  this  point ;  but  the  same.  He  shows 
nothing  to  our  spirit  but  just  what  God  has  said 
in  the  Scriptures,  and  bears  nothing  in  on  the 
mind  but  just  what  is  ''  written."  His  witness 
comes,  indeed,  with  a  power  and  glory  at  times, 
which  makes  the  written  truth  appear  newly 
revealed  truth,  or  something  which  the  believer 
had  never  heard,  read,  or  thought  of  before !  The 
new  force  given  to  the  old  truth  is  sometimes 
such,  that  even  wise^  and  good  men  have  almost 
forgotten,  at  the  moment,  the  Word  of  God,  and 
thought  only  of  the  direct  witness  of  the  Spirit 
with  their  spirits.     A.nd,  in  such  cases,  there  was 


OF   THE   SPIRIT.  51 

a  direct  witness :  all  the  melting,  cheering,  and 
holy  influence  of  the  Word  on  their  minds,  was 
the  effect  of  divine  influence ;  but  still  it  was 
divine  influence,  working  by  the  divine  word,  or 
the  Spirit  showing  clearly  and  powerfully  what 
had  been  overlooked  or  misunderstood  before. 
No  7iew  truth,  but  the  glory  of  the  old  was 
brought  home  with  demonstration  and  power ; 
for  even  when  the  witness  of  the  Holy  Spirit  goes 
farthest  in  sweetness  and  glory,  it  does  not  go 
one  hair's  breadth  beyond,  or  away  from,  what 
is  already  revealed  in  the  Holy  Scriptures. 

And  it  is  self-evident  that  nothing  more  can 
be  wanted,  either  for  comfort  or  establishment. 
What  more  could  you  wish,  than  to  know  that 
you  are,  what  you  desire  to  be — a  child  of  God  ? 
If,  therefore,  that,  be  already  revealed  in  the 
Scriptures,  the  first  thing  you  really  need,  in  this 
matter,  is  an  increase  of  faith  to  believe  the  fact. 
Now,  it  is  expressly  revealed,  that  "  As  many 
as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  they  are  the  sons 
of  God  ;"  and  that  as  many  as  *«  receive"  Christ, 
or  believe  on  him,  are  empowered  to  believe  also 
that  they  are  "  become  the  sons  of  God."  When- 
ever, therefore,  you  understand  and  believe  this, 


52  THE   WITNESS 

in  your  own  case,  you  will  have  the  witness  of 
the  Spirit :  for  this  is  the  truth  of  God ;  and  it  is 
to  "  the  truth,"  that  the  Spirit  witnesses.  "  But," 
you  are  ready  to  say,  "  if  the  sonship  or  adoption 
of  believers  is  revealed  already  in  the  Scriptures, 
what  need  is  there  for  another  witness  to  it  ?  If 
I  can  learn,  from  the  Word  of  God,  that  T  am  a 
child  of  God,  is  not  the  witness  of  the  Spirit 
unnecessary  ?"  Now,  in  your  case,  it  is  evidently 
very  necessary  ;  for  you  have  not  learned, 
hitherto,  that  your  "  faith  hath  saved  you."  You 
hardly  believe  this  now.  You  are,  perhaps,  not 
yet  sure  that  your  believing  on  Christ  is  saving 
faith.  There  is  still  a  mist  around  the  whole 
subject,  as  it  regards  yourself.  It  is,  indeed, 
breaking  upon  you,  and  brightening  up  here  and 
there ;  but  you  are  almost  as  much  afraid  of  the 
light  as  you  are  of  the  darkness.  How  can  you, 
then,  suspect  that  the  testimony  of  the  Word 
should  set  aside  the  witness  of  the  Spirit  ?  You 
have  often  heard  and  read  the  written  testimony 
of  God,  that  believers  are  all  his  children  by 
faith;  but  hitherto,  you  have  not  ventured  to 
believe  this  fact  in  your  own  case,  and  can  hardly 
venture  to  do  so  now.    It  is  therefore  self-evident 


OF  THE    SPIRIT.  53 

thai,  instead  of  doing  away  with,  or  lessening  llie 
need  of  the  Spirit's  witness,  the  necessity  of  it 
is  demonstrated  by  the  very  difficulty  which  you 
feel  in  trying  to  believe  this  part  of  the  Gospel 
for  yourself.  Never,  perhaps,  did  you  feel  more 
deeply  than  at  this  moment,  your  own  need  of 
being  led  by  the  Spirit  into  all  truth. 

*»  True,"  you  say  ;  *'  but  surely  the  witness  of 
the  Spirit  is  something  more  spiritual  than  all 
this :  I  have  always  thought  that  it  consisted  in 
a  peculiar  divine  impression  on  the  mind,  or  a 
peculiar  manifestation  to  the  soul."  Well,  is  it 
not  a  divine  impression,  and  manifestation  too, 
when  the  mind  feels  persuaded  of  the  worth  and 
all-sufficiency  of  the  Saviour ;  and  of  the  truth  of 
the  great  scriptural  fact,  that  salvation  is  by  faith 
alone,  that  it  may  be  of  grace  entirely  ?  The 
natural  impression  is,  that  salvation  is  by  works 
alone,  or  by  the  fruits  of  faith,  rather  than  by 
faith  itself.  If,  therefore,  you  think  lightly  of 
feeling  persuaded  that  you  must  be  saved  by 
faith,  or  perish,  you  underrate  the  value  of  your 
own  convictions  :  for  this  conviction,  if  connected 
with  love  to  holiness,  is  the  best  part  and  proof 
F  2 


54  THE   WITNESS,    &C. 

of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  your  mind ; 
and,  in  fact,  is  the  beginning  of  his  witness  too. 

But  still  you  are  not  satisfied  on  this  point ; 
but  feel  almost  sure  that  the  witness  of  the  Spirit 
must  be  a  more  peculiar  impression,  or  manifes- 
tation, than  grace  to  believe  all  the  truth.  Well  : 
an  impression  of  what  ?  A  manifestation  of 
what  ?  There  is  nothing  to  impress  or  manifest 
but  revealed  truth ;  and  as  that  is  revealed  which 
you  want  to  know,  the  only  thing  you  require,  in 
order  to  enjoy  the  comfort  of  it,  is  grace  to  un- 
derstand and  believe  it  for  yourself.  For,  do 
you  not  see  that  any  impression  of  what  is  not 
revealed  could  never  be  relied  on,  because  it 
could  never  be  proved  to  be  a  divine  impres- 
sion ?  The  manifestation  of  any  thing  to  the 
soul,  different  from,  or  additional  to,  the  Word 
of  God,  could,  indeed,  come  only  from  a  wicked 
spirit.  It  is,  therefore,  evidently  wrong  to  look 
for  any  divine  witness,  but  what  the  Spirit  of 
God  bears  to  the  truth  of  the  divine  word,  and 
its  correspondent  influence  on  our  hearts  and 
habits. 


CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE. 

No.  IV. 

THE    SPECIAL    FRUITS    OF    THE    SPIRIT. 


*'  The  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  in  all  goodness.''' 
It  does  not,  however,  follow  from  this,  that  all 
goodness  is  "  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit."  All  real 
goodness  of  heart  and  character  is  so,  of  course  ; 
but  there  is  much  apparent  and  comparative 
goodness,  which  is  merely  the  fruit  of  education 
and  self-righteousness.  Hence  the  importance 
of  distinguishing  between  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit 
and  the  fruits  of  nature  ;  for  these,  like  some  of 
the  fruits  of  the  earth,  are  occasionally  similar  in 
appearance,  whilst,  in  reality,  they  are  as  dif- 
ferent as  food  and  poison.  Comparatively,  there 
are  many  who  are  good  neighbours,  good  pa- 
rents, and  good  children  :  but  their  goodness,  in 
these  social  relations,  flows  from  no  love  to  God, 
nor  from  any  regard  to  the   Holy  Spirit.     Ac- 


56  THE   SPECIAL    FRUITS 

cordingly,  they  do  not  pretend  to  be  influenced 
by  the  Spirit  or  Word  of  God  in  the  goodness 
which  they  cultivate ;  it  is  merely  their  way — 
their  rule — their  family  system  of  acting.  This 
is  both  the  history  and  mystery  of  all  their  com- 
parative goodness. 

Now,  whatever  such  goodness  be,  it  certainly 
is  not  religion ;  for  God  is  not  made  its  author 
nor  its  end.  It  is  not  derived  from  his  grace, 
nor  directed  to  his  glory  ;  and,  therefore,  cannot 
be  satisfactory  to  Him,  however  beneficial  it 
may  be  to  society.  No  wonder  :  we  ourselves 
would  not  be  satisfied  with  any  goodness  in  our 
children,  if  it  were  unconnected  with  love  to 
ourselves  as  their  parents.  Did  they  neglect, 
avoid,  and  forget  us,  we  should  regard  them  as 
had  children,  however  good  they  were  to  others, 
and  in  other  respects.  And  nothing  ought  to  be 
held  real  goodness  in  a  child,  when  filial  love 
and  gratitude  are  wanting.  Much  more,  there- 
fore, may  God,  so  far  as  it  regards  himself,  dis- 
own all  moral  goodness  which  begins,  and  goes 
on,  without  either  love  or  gratitude  to  himself. 

Nor  is  this  all.     There  is  also  a  kind  of  love 
and  o;ratitude  to  God,  which  does  not  mend  the 


OF   THE    SPIRIT.  57 

matter  very  much.  I  mean,  when  they  refer  to 
Him  chiefly  as  the  God  of  providence.  Many 
mistake  for  reUgious  principle,  the  pleasure  they 
feel  in  their  worldly  lot.  They  have  succeeded 
in  business  beyond  their  own  expectations,  and 
better  than  many  who  had  more  to  begin  with. 
Providence  has  smiled  on  their  industry,  and 
kept  watch  and  ward  over  their  interests.  Ac- 
cordingly, they  see,  and  feel,  and  confess,  that 
God  has  been  very  good  to  them.  On  this 
ground,  they  feel  it  to  be  their  duty  to  cultivate 
some  goodness,  and  to  do  some  good,  in  grateful 
return  for  the  divine  goodness  to  themselves. 
Now,  perhaps,  no  natural  goodness  approaches 
so  near  to  "  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit,"  as  this.  It  is 
amiable,  considerate,  and  highly  consistent  with 
a  sense  of  moral  obligation.  But,  after  all,  it  is 
often  no  better  than  self-righteousness,  and  some- 
times it  is  mere  ostentation  :  and  even  when  it  is 
none  of  these,  it  may  not  be  the  fruit  of  the 
Spirit.  Accordingly,  many  who  go  all  this 
length  in  goodness,  do  not  even  pretend  that 
they  are  in  the  least  influenced  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  any  good  they  do.  The  utmost  they 
say  or  think  is,  <*  We  bless  God  that  we  have  a 


58  THE    SPECIAL   FRUITS 

heart  to  do  what  Httle  good  we  can  in  the 
world."  Here  the  matter  begins  and  ends. 
They  have  no  heart  for  prayer ;  no  deep  sense 
of  their  lost  condition  as  sinners  ;  no  clear  under- 
standing of  the  way  of  salvation  by  the  blood  of 
Christ ;  no  settled  persuasion  of  their  own  need 
of  a  "new  heart;"  and,  therefore,  neither  their 
general  goodness  nor  gratitude  is  *'the  fruit  of 
the  Spirit."  For  the  first  fruits  of  the  Spirit  are 
convictions  of  sin  and  righteousness;  or,  the 
drawing  away  of  the  soul  from  sin  and  self- 
dependence,  to  take  up  with  the  Cross  and 
holiness.  Accordingly,  where  there  is  no  soli- 
citude to  be  saved  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb, 
there  is  none  of  that  morality  which  is  the  fruit 
of  the  Spirit. 

The  truth  of  these  distinctions  is  both  illus- 
trated and  confirmed  by  the  order  in  which  the 
fruits  of  the  Spirit  are  classed  in  the  Word  of 
God.  "Love,  joy,  peace,"  are  placed  first  in 
the  catalogue ;  and  the  moral  virtues  next.  Not 
that  "  long-suffering,  gentleness,  goodness,  fide- 
lity, meekness,  temperance,"  are  less  the  fruit  of 
the  Spirit  than  "  love,  joy,  peace ;"  nor  because 
they  are  less  necessary ;  but  because  the  moral 


OF   THE   SPIRIT.  59 

virtues  may  be  imitated  without  the  Spirit, 
whereas  the  spiritual  graces  cannot.  Any  man 
may  force  himself  to  be  temperate ;  but  no  man 
can  force  himself  to  love  God  or  the  Lamb. 
A  man  may  be  constitutionally  meek  and  gentle ; 
but  no  man  loves  God,  nor  rejoices  in  God,  nor 
has  peace  with  God,  naturally.  Accordingly, 
many  of  the  truly  serious,  who  are  cultivating 
all  the  moral  virtues,  and  who  excel  in  some  of 
them,  regard  themselves  as  almost  strangers  to 
both  the  work  and  witness  of  the  Spirit,  because 
they  feel  so  little  love,  joy,  or  peace,  in  be- 
lieving. They  see,  in  the  case  of  the  primitive 
believers,  that  faith  wrought  by  love,  and  pro- 
duced joy  and  peace ;  and  as  their  own  be- 
lieving does  not  work  in  this  way,  they  dare  not 
regard  it  as  that  faith  which  is  from  the  operation 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  This,  however,  is  a  grand 
mistake,  if  all  their  reliance  is  on  Christ  for 
a  holy  salvation.  That  is,  *'  the  faith  of  God's 
elect :"  and  the  only  reason  why  it  does  not  lead 
to  "  love,  joy,  peace,"  is,  that^such  persons  do  not 
understand  that  their  "faith  hath  saved  them  :" 
for  if  they  understood  and  believed  that  it  had 
saved  them,  they  could  not  be  long  strangers  to 


60  THE   SPECIAL    FRUITS 

love,  joy,  or  peace.  And  even  as  it  is  with 
them,  they  are  not  utter  strangers,  nor  so  much 
strangers  to  these  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  as  they 
themselves  suspect  and  say. 

I  appeal  to  you  who  have  applied  to  Christ  for 
a  holy  salvation,  and  are  relying  on  Him  alone 
for  eternal  life :  you  say,  that  you  feel  little  or 
no  love  to  God  and  the  Lamb.  Do  you  mean 
by  that,  that  you  feel  more  hatred  than  love  to 
them  ?  No :  you  are  not  conscious  of  any  hatred 
to  them.  The  bare  idea  of  such  a  thing  shocks 
you.  Well,  is  there  no  love  in  this  feeling?  You 
are  ready  to  say — "  the  absence  of  all  hatred 
does  not  imply  love;  we  hate  no  one,  but  we 
do  not  love  all  alike."  True,  you  have  not  the 
same  reason  for  loving  all  alike ;  and  therefore 
you  have  no  desire  to  do  so  :  but  you  really  love 
all  whom  you  desire  to  love.  Now,  if  you  really 
desire  to  love  God  and  the  Lamb,  it  is  certain 
that  you  are  not  even  indifferent  to  them,  far 
less  hostile  to  them.  There  is  not  an  utter  want 
of  love,  where  there  is  a  wish  to  love.  Love  is, 
indeed,  weak  when  it  consists  chiefly  in  wishes  ; 
but  even  then  it  is  not  pretence  nor  fancy.  And 
if  the  weakness  of  it  is  the  cause  of  shame  and 


OF    THE    SPIRIT.  61 

sorrow  to  you,  the  love  itself,  although  certainly 
feeble,  it  is  not  insincere. 

Are  you  then  satisfied,  in  your  own  mind, 
that  it  is  really  your  desire  to  love  God  and  the 
Saviour  supremely  ?  Well,  love  to  them  must 
have  a  bejinningy  as  well  as  every  other  gracious 
feeling.  None  of  the  graces  of  the  Spirit,  nor, 
indeeu,  of  the  gifts  of  nature,  spring  to  maturity 
at  once.  The  desire  to  love  God  should,  there- 
fore, be  welcomed  and  well  treated  in  the  heart : 
for  it  is  that  seed  from  which  all  love  to  Him 
springs,  and  without  which  none  ever  will  or 
can  spring  up  in  the  heart.  Besides,  are  you  not 
conscious  of  loving  God  and  the  Saviour,  and 
their  "commandments,"  more  than  you  once 
did  ?  And  would  you  not  think  it  a  very  great 
change  for  the  worse,  were  you  to  relapse  to  your 
former  state  of  mind  ?  Would  you  not  even 
sniffer  a  good  deal,  rather  than  go  back  to  your 
old  sins  and  insensibility  ?  Weigh  these  ques- 
tions seriously,  and  answer  them  fairly.  I  would 
not  flatter  you,  nor  teach  you  to  think  too  highly 
of  "the  day  of  small  things;"  but  as  it  is  evi- 
dently a  day  of  something  gracious  in  your  case, 
I  must  guard  you  against  despising  it.     Now,  it 

G 


62  THE   SPECIAL    FRUITS 

never  will  do  any  good,  but  real  evil,  to  go  on 
for  ever  questioning  the  sincerity  of  your  love ; 
for  until  you  admit  that  it  is  not  insincere,  it 
cannot  increase  in  strength  nor  in  warmth.  It  is 
well,  it  is  necessary,  to  exercise  a  keen  jealousy 
over  our  best  feelings ;  but  if  they  are  treated 
with  nothing  but  jealousy  and  suspicion,  they 
certainly  will  not  grow  better.  Faith  and  love 
must  be  "  watered,"  as  well  as  watched  ;  che- 
rished, as  well  as  tried  : — for  if  you  get  into  the 
habit  of  trying  them  as  hypocrites,  or  only  to 
find  fault  with  them,  you  will  never  be  able  to 
come  to  any  satisfactory  conclusion,  nor  to  suc- 
ceed in  improving  them. 

Besides  the  kind  and  degree  of  love  which  you 
want  to  feel,  you  never  can  feel  until  you  believe 
that  God  and  the  Lamb  have  loved,  and  do  love 
you.  It  is  your  doubt  of  their  love  to  you  that 
keeps  down  your  love  to  them.  This  is  the  real 
secret  of  all  the  coldness  and  weakness  you  com- 
plain of;  unless,  indeed,  some  sin  has  still  the 
throne  of  your  heart.  Then,  indeed,  the  Holy 
Ghost  will  not  shed  abroad  the  love  of  God  in 
your  heart.  But  if  this  be  not  the  case,  what 
you  want,  in  order  to  love  God  more,  is  to  be 


OP  THE   SPIRIT.  63 

enabled  to  believe  that  God  has  loved  you. 
Now,  why  not  believe  this  ?  You  are  warranted 
and  welcome  to  believe  this  for  yourself,  if  all 
your  faith  is  in  Christ  for  a  holy  salvation. 
And,  whatever  you  may  think,  you  never  can 
know  that  God  has  loved  you,  or  that  Christ 
"  gave  himself"  for  you,  but  by  believing  it. 
You  may  have  imagined,  hitherto,  that  the  sense 
or  assurance  of  this,  must  be  borne  in  upon  the 
mind  in  some  mysterious  or  supernatural  man- 
ner; but  if,  by  that,  you  mean  in  some  way 
apart  from  believing  what  God  has  said,  you 
mistake  greatly.  You  must  just  take  God's 
word  for  it,  if  ever  you  would  be  sure  that  he 
has  loved  you.  Well,  you  have  his  word  for  it : 
— "TAe  Father  himself  loveth  you^''  saith 
Christ,  ^^  because  ye  have  loved  me  ;^'  and  you 
have  loved  Him,  if  you  have  committed  your 
souls  to  him  for  salvation,  and  are  willing  to 
obey  him. 

Now,  do  you  not  see,  at  a  glance,  that  the 
moment  the  soul  admits  the  sweet  persuasion  of 
God's  love  to  itself,  it  is  impossible  not  to  love 
him  >  Try  it  in  your  own  case,  if  it  be  merely 
as  an  experiment.     Suppose  that  a  voice,  direct 


64  THE    SPECIAL    FRUITS 

from  heaven,  assured  you  that  God  had  "  loved 
you  with  an  everlasting  love,"  and  that,  there- 
fore, "  with  loving-kindness  he  had  drawn  you" 
to  the  Cross  and  the  mercy-seat; — could  you 
hear  this  assurance  without  a  glowing  heart  ? 
Would  not  all  your  affections  warm,  and  melt, 
and  flow  out  to  God  ?  You  feel  at  once  that 
such  knovi^ledge  of  his  love  to  you,  would  secure 
and  inflame  your  love  to  Him  for  ever !  Well ; 
if  you  are  sure  that  you  are  a  believer,  you  have 
this  assurance  in  your  Bible  :  and,  therefore,  it  is 
just  as  true,  as  if  a  voice,  direct  from  the  heaven 
of  heavens,  were  to  inform  you.  Why  not  be- 
lieve it,  then  ?  This  was  the  apostolic  way  of 
growing  in  love.  *'  We  love  Him,  because  he 
first  loved  us."  How  did  they  know  that  God 
had  loved  them  ?  They  knew  that  they  had 
**  believed  through  grace,"  and  that  God  loved 
all  such ;  and,  therefore,  they  said,  "  we  have 
known  and  believed  the  love  wherewith  God 
hath  loved  us." 

Now,  as  to  the  second  special  fruit  of  the 
Spirit — "Joy;"  however  you  may  have  com- 
plained, hitherto,  that  you  had  no  joy  in  be- 
lieving ;  and  however  you  may  have  wondered 


OF   THE    SPIRIT.  65 

that  your  application  to  the  Saviour  was  not 
followed  by  «*  the  joy  of  salvation;"  the  cause  is 
obvious.  It  is  not  because  the  Spirit  has  been 
sovereignly  withheld  from  you ;  nor  that  joy 
does  not  follow  believing  now,  "  as  in  the  days 
of  old;"  but,  evidently  and  certainly,  because 
you  have,  hitherto,  believed  only  one-half  of  the 
Gospel.  But  whilst  the  belief  of  that  half  is 
enough  for  safety,  the  belief  of  the  other  also  is 
requisite  in  order  to  "joy." 

Consider  this.  The  first  and  chief  part  of  the 
Gospel  is  God's  testimony  concerning  the  person 
and  work  of  his  Son.  With  the  belief  of  this 
testimony,  he  has  graciously  and  inseparably 
connected  the  promise  of  eternal  life.  Hence 
arises  a  second  divine  testimony ;  and  it  is  con- 
cerning all  who  have  believed  the  first  with  the 
heart.  Now,  that  second  testimony,  which  is 
thus  concerning  them,  is,  that  they  "/iaye  eter- 
nal life  ;"  that  they  "  are  the  children  of  God  ;" 
that  they  "  are  justified  ;"  in  a  word,  that  they 
have  obtained  the  mercy  and  favour  they  were 
seeking !  Now,  the  moment  they  bislieve  that 
they  are  actual  heirs  of  the  salvation  they  were 
believing  in  Christ  for,  joy  must  come  into 
G  2 


66  THE   SPECIAL   FRUITS 

their  hearts  ;  indeed  it  cannot  be  kept  out ;  for 
it  is  impossible  that  any  man  can  be  joyless,  who 
believes  that  all  his  sins  are  pardoned,  and  his 
soul  redeemed,  by  the  blood  of  Christ.  This, 
then,  is  that  half  of  the  Gospel  which  you  have 
either  not  observed  before,  or  not  ventured  to  be- 
lieve in  your  own  case.  The  consequence  has 
been,  that  all  the  joy  you  have  had  from  looking 
to  the  Saviour,  has  been  damped  and  kept  down 
by  the  chilling  suspicion,  that  he  might  not  save 
you.  Sometimes  you  have  got  above  this  fear 
for  a  moment,  and  seen  so  much  of  his  grace 
and  glory,  that  you  could  not  doubt  his  willing- 
ness to  save  even  you.  You  have,  then,  clasped 
the  dear  hope  to  your  heart,  and  resolved  that 
you  would  cling  to  it  through  life.  But  how 
often  have  you  lost  your  hold  of  it !  It  has 
gone,  you  know  not  how.  Why  ?  If  the  neg- 
lect of  known  duty,  or  the  indulgence  of  known 
sin,  has  not  been  the  cause  of  its  withdrawment, 
the  cause  is  obvious  : — you  did  not  see  that  this 
fond  hope  of  salvation  was  fully  warranted,  and 
chartered  to  you,  by  the  express  word  of  God. 
You  took  up  the  hope  at  first,  not  so  much 
because  you   felt   warranted   and   welcome^   by 


OF    THE    SPIRIT.  67 

that,  to  do  so,  but  because  you  were  willing  to 
do  so,  and  could  not  be  happy  without  it.  Ac- 
cordingly, whenever  you  asked  yourself  the  ques- 
tion, '*  what  right  have  I  to  hope  for  so  great  a 
salvation  ?" — you  could  not  answer  it  to  your 
own  satisfaction.  You  looked  at  yourself — and 
felt  that  you  had  no  claim  !  You  looked  at 
others — and  felt  afraid  to  hope.  But  you  did 
not  look  to  the  things  which  are  "  written"  unto 
them  **  that  believe  on  the  name  of  the  Son  of 
God,"  that  they  "might  know"  that  they 
**  have  eternal  life."  Had  you  looked  at  them, 
your  joy  might  have  been  "  full."  Let  it  be  so 
now:  for  '*it  is  written,"  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  shall  never  perish,  but  have  everlasting 
life  ;  and  you  do  believe,  if  you  love  the  Gospel. 
All  this,  I  am  aware,  is  easily  said.  I  feel, 
with  you,  that  it  is  easier  to  advise  than  to  act 
here.  Paul  evidently  felt  this,  when  he  said  to 
believers,  "Rejoice  in  the  Lord;  and  again  I  say, 
rejoice."  This  repetition  of  the  injunction  im- 
plies that,  like  ourselves,  they  did  not  understand 
at  first,  or  they  forgot  at  times,  the  warrant 
which  faith  has,  in  the  divine  Word,  to  "rejoice 
always."     It  was,  however,  a  mistake,  when  be- 


68  THE   SPECIAL    FRUITS 

lievers  were  afraid  to  rejoice  in  the  Lord :  for  ex- 
cept when  they  become  remiss  or  irregular,  they 
are  always  warranted  to  cherish  the  joy  of  salva- 
tion, as  the  strength  of  their  heart. 

In  hke  manner  "Peace,"  whilst  it  is  the  fruit 
of  the  Spirit,  is  also  the  effect  of  faith.  It  is  not 
a  feeling  of  tranquillity  infused  into  the  mind  or 
the  conscience,  apart  from  "the  truth;"  but  by 
the  truth.  The  Word  of  God  is  "the  seed"  of 
that  peace  which  is  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit.  By 
overlooking  this  fact,  and  by  mistaking  the  real 
nature  of  spiritual  peace,  many  perplex  and 
sadly  hinder  themselves  in  the  divine  life.  In- 
deed, they  often  look  for  a  kind  of  peace  which 
is  not  promised,  and  expect  it  in  a  way  which  is 
not  revealed.  What  do  you  mean  when  you 
pray  for  peace  }  What  would  you  consider  as 
an  answer  to  this  prayer  ?  If  you  mean  by 
peace,  that  sweet  serenity  of  soul  which  you 
have  felt  when  you  have  obtained  great  enlarge- 
ment of  heart  in  secret  devotion,  or  when  you 
have  been,  as  it  were,  carried  "  out  of  the  body" 
by  some  glorious  sermon,  full  of  the  glory  of  the 
Saviour ;  you  mistake  the  matter.  This  is,  in- 
deed, peace;  even  "the  peace  of  God,  which 


OF  THE    SPIRIT.  69 

passeth  understanding;'*  but  it  is  that  degree  of 
it,  which  is  more  the  reward  of  extraordinary  de- 
votional habits,  than  the  effect  of  ordinary  faith. 
Tastes  of  such  holy  tranquillity  are  vouchsafed,  at 
times,  to  some,  when  they  begin  to  follow  the 
Lamb,  that  they  may  be  encouraged  to  follow 
him  fully,  and  convinced  that  his  ways  are 
peace ;  but  still,  it  is  his  own  peace  which  he 
has  left  to  his  followers,  as  their  ordinary  por- 
tion. **  Peace  I  leave  unto  you  :  My  peace  give 
I  unto  you." 

This  was  a  distinction  peculiarly  wanted  by 
the  first  disciples.  They  were  naturally  san- 
guine in  their  expectations,  and  prone  to  picture 
to  themselves  bright  days  and  great  things.  Had, 
therefore,  the  Saviour  said  nothing  but  "  Peace  I 
leave  unto  you," — the  probability  is,  that  they 
would  have  flattered  themselves  with  a  sunny 
prospect  of  ease  and  tranquillity.  How  great, 
then,  must  have  been  their  disappointment  when 
they  had  to  endure  **  fears  without,  and  fightings 
within !"  In  that  case,  they  might  have  said, 
"  We  looked  for  peace,  and,  behold,  war."  All 
this  was,  however,  prevented  by  the  qualifying 
clause,  '*  My  peace  give  I  unto  you."     This  de- 


70  THE  SPECIAL    FRUITS 

fined  the  legacy,  without  lessening  its  real  value : 
for  the  Saviour's  own  peace,  although  it  did  not 
exempt  him  from  trials,  nor  from  the  temptations 
of  Satan,  nor  even  from  the  occasional  hidings  of 
the  Divine  presence  from  his  soul ;  yet  it  secured 
both  his  safety  and  triumph  under  them  all.  Ac- 
cordingly, that  kind  and  degree  of  peace  his 
Apostles  found  during  their  work  and  warfare. 

Now  this  distinction  we  have  need  to  notice 
and  remember ;  for  we  too  are  prone  to  expect 
what  is  not  promised.  It  would  quite  suit  our 
taste  and  wishes  to  have  no  cares,  trials,  or 
temptations.  We  should  be  delighted  if  we  were 
never  to  have  an  uneasy  nor  an  unholy  thought 
in  our  minds  again.  To  have  our  hearts,  like 
Gabriel's  harp,  always  in  tune,  would  be,  indeed, 
heaven  on  earth,  and  the  very  thing  we  desire ! 
But  all  this  is  the  poetry,  not  the  sober  reality, 
of  religion.  It  is  not  to  be  angels,  but  to  be 
"saints"  on  the  earth,  that  we  are  called  by 
God.  ''A  life  of  faith  on  the  Son  of  God,"  is  a 
life  of  warfare  against  the  lusts  of  the  flesh  and 
of  the  mind ;  a  life  of  watching  against  unbelief 
and  temptation  ;  a  life  of  obedience  and  sub- 
mission to  the  will  of  God :  and  the  peace  which 


OF    THE    SPIRIT.  71 

is  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit,  is  the  persuasion  that 
God  is  upon  our  side,  and  will  not  suffer  us  to  be 
overcome.  This  was  the  Saviour's  own  peace, 
when  his  heart  was  broken  with  reproach  and 
his  body  agonized  with  pain,  and  his  soul  torn 
with  anguish  :  and  we  deceive  ourselves,  if  wc 
mean  by  peace,  exemption  from  trouble  of  mind 
or  body.  Such  peace  is  not  promised.  The 
substance  of  what  is  promised  is,  "  My  grace  is 
sufficient  for  thee,'''' 

Now  many  who,  in  their  own  vague  or  vision- 
ary sense  of  the  word,  say  that  they  have  no 
-peace  in  believing,  are  certainly  not  strangers  to 
this  kind  and  degree  of  peace :  for  they  evidently 
bear  their  trials  well,  and  resist  temptation  man- 
fully, because  they  believe  that  God  has  some 
gracious  design  in  all  that  he  calls  them  to  do 
or  suffer. 


CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE. 

No.  V. 
JUSTIFICATION  BY  FAITH. 


Until  this  subject  is  understood,  it  is  impos- 
sible for  any  one,  however  serious  or  devotional, 
to  enjoy  the  vritness,  or  to  abound  in  the  fruit,  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.     Now,  it  is  either  not  clearly 
understood,  or  not  fully  believed,  in  every  case  of 
fear  which  is  not  relieved  by  it.     The  fear  of 
perishing  is  utterly  incompatible  with  an  intel- 
ligent behef  of  the  scriptural  fact,  that  "  he  who 
believeth"  on  Christ  ^^  is  justified  ;^'  unless,  in- 
deed, the  person  who  is  in  fear,  is  also  conscious 
that  he  has  not  faith  in  the  Saviour.     In  that 
case,  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  can- 
not, of  course,  remove  his  fears ;  but  must,  if  he 
understand  it,  increase,  instead  of  lessen  them. 
Those,  however,  who  are  persuaded   that  they 


JUSTIFICATION     BY   FAITH.  73 

have  faith  in  the  Saviour,  and  some  love  to  him, 
but  who  are  still  afraid  that  they  are  not  justi- 
fied by  his  righteousness,  are  certainly  labouring 
under  some  mistake ;  for  his  righteousness  is 
"  upon  all  them  that  believe,"  It  is,  therefore, 
"upon"  themselves,  as  a  robe  of  salvation,  if 
they  are  believers ;  and  they  are  believers  who 
rely  upon  and  love  Jesus  Christ  for  his  holy  sal- 
vation. Those  v/ho  do  so,  because  they  are  per- 
suaded of  the  truth  of  his  divinity  and  atonement, 
cannot  be  unbelievers,  whatever  they  may  sus- 
pect or  think.  This  state  of  mind  is  utterly 
unlike  unbelief.  It  is  the  very  reverse  of  it  in 
fact.  It  is  faith,  if  it  be  any  thing;  for  faith  is 
the  cordial  belief  of  *'  the  truth"  concerning  the 
person  and  work  of  Christ.  Indeed,  if  it  were 
not,  then  it  would  follow  that  faith  is  the  belief 
of  conjectures;  for  unless  conjectures,  there  is 
nothing  but  *«  the  truth"  to  beheve;  and  surely 
guesses,  however  plausible,  should  never  be  pre- 
ferred to  the  word  of  God,  nor  even  connected 
with  it.  Besides,  there  is  no  need  for  any,  see- 
ing God  has  graciously  and  inseparably  con- 
nected with  the  belief  of  «'  the  truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus,"  the  promise  of  justification  and  eternal 

H 


74  JUSTIFICATION    BY    FAITH. 

life.  All  things  necessary  for  life  and  godliness 
are  promised  to  all  who  embrace  the  divine  tes- 
timony with  an  honest  heart.  Whoever,  there- 
fore, does  so,  has  no  need  to  perplex  himself 
with  conjectures  about  his  own  adoption,  re- 
demption, or  election.  He  has  been  elected, 
redeemed,  and  adopted,  if  he  has  **  believed 
through  grace,"  and  for  holy  purposes,  "the 
glorious  Gospel  of  the  blessed  God."  All  who 
**  hold  the  truth"  (except,  indeed,  those  who 
*' hold  it  in  unrighteousness")  have  no  occasion 
at  all  to  doubt  whether  the  Saviour  died  for 
them.  He  both  loved  them,  and  gave  himself 
for  them,  who  receive  the  truth  in  the  love  of  it. 
These  are  <*  true  sayings"  of  the  true  God ;  and, 
therefore,  the  only  thing  wanted  in  order  to  enjoy 
the  comfort  of  them,  is  to  be  enabled  to  believe 
them  for  ourselves.  This,  indeed,  the  Holy 
Spirit  will  not  enable  us  to  do,  if  we  are  either 
indulging  sin,  or  neglecting  duty,  or  seeking  a 
sanction  for  inconsistencies ;  but  where  this  is 
not  the  case,  the  Spirit  will  not  refuse  nor  delay 
to  increase  our  faith,  if  we  try  to  grow  in  know- 
ledge, that  we  may  grow  in  grace.  For  reluc-- 
tance  to  "  lead  into  all  truth"  is  no  part  of  his 


JUSTIFICATION     BY    FAITH.  75 

character.  He  is  a  "  free  Spirit,"  and  therefore, 
although  he  teach  gradually,  he  will  teach  cer- 
tainly, and  *'to  profit." 

When  there  is,  however,  perplexity  on  the 
subject  of  Justification  by  Faith,  the  best  thing 
that  can  be  done  is,  to  examine  the  subject  as  if 
we  had  never  heard  of  it  before.  And  we  ought 
to  feel  no  reluctance  to  do  so.  Let  us  examine 
it  now, 

**  How  can  man  be  justified  with  GodP^* — This 
solemn  question  was  put  by  Bildad  to  Job  ;  and 
although  Job's  answer  was  not  explicit  at  the 
moment,  his  opinion  on  the  subject  may  be  in- 
ferred from  the  fact,  that  he  had  said  before,  "  If 
I  justify  myself,  mine  own  mouth  shall  condemn 
me."  Paul,  however,  has  given  a  direct  and 
full  answer  to  this  momentous  question,  by 
stating  explicitly  how  he  himself,  and  his  fellow 
converts,  sought  to  be  justified. — *'  We  have  be- 
lieved in  Jesus  Christ,  that  we  might  be  justified 
by  the  faith  of  Christ,  and  not  by  the  works  of 
the  law,''  (Gal.  ii.  16.)  In  this  way,  whatever 
it  moan,  Paul  and  his  associates  sought  for  jus- 
tification before  God.  And  whatever  justifica- 
tion is,  they  found  it  by  this  means.     Accord- 


76  JUSTIFICATION    BY    FAITH. 

ingly  he  said,  "Being  now  justified  by  his  blood, 
we  shall  be  saved  from  wrath  through  him." 
And  again,  "  being  justified  by  faith,  we  have 
peace  with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ/' 
Thus  clearly  does  the  Apostle  declare  both  the 
means  which  he  employed,  and  his  success  in 
using  them.  He  took  God's  way,  and  God  gave 
him  his  own  wish.  Although  the  chief  of  sin- 
ners, God  justified  Paul,  when  he  believed  on 
Christ  for  righteousness.  Not,  indeed,  that  God 
justified  Paul's  conduct  or  principles  as  a  sinner. 
No  !  for  if  <'  he  that  justifieth  the  wicked  is  an 
abomination  to  the  Lord,"  it  is  self-evident  that, 
in  the  sense  of  thinking  or  declaring  Paul  inno- 
cent, the  Lord  himself  did  not,  and  could  not, 
justify  him.  God  forgiveth  '<  iniquity,  trans- 
gression, and  sin  ;"  but,  in  doing  so,  he  *' will 
by  no  means  clear  the  guilty"  from  the  charge  of 
having  been  guilty.  He  treats  sinners  as  kindly 
as  if  they  were  innocent,  or  as  if  they  had  never 
been  sinners,  when  they  return  from  sin  to  the 
Saviour ;  but  he  neither  considers  them  innocent, 
nor  paUiates  their  guilt.  He  forgives,  and  even 
forgets,  all  the  sins  of  all  who  believe  ;  but  he 
allows  no  believer  to  forget  that  he  was  a  sinner, 


JUSTIFICATION    BY   FAITH.  11 

nor  to  suppose  that  his  sins  were  not  hateful  and 
hated  by  Him.  It  is,  therefore,  because  believ- 
ing sinners  are  accepted  for  the  sake  of  Christ, 
as  if  they  were  not  sinners,  that  they  are  said  to 
be  justified  by  God. 

The  scriptural  doctrine  of  Justification  by 
Faith,  is, — that  the  Saviour  was  treated  as  if  he 
had  been  guiltyy  in  order  that  the  guilty,  who 
believe  in  Him,  might  be  accepted  as  if  they 
were  innocent.  This  is  what  Paul  means  when 
he  says  of  Christ,  "  He  was  made  sin  for  us,  that 
we  might  be  made  the  riorhteousness  of  God  in 
him."  The  Saviour  had  no  sin,  he  *'knew  no 
sin,"  yet  it  pleased  the  Lord  to  bruise  him. 
Why  ?  Emmanuel  had  voluntarily,  cheerfully, 
and  fully,  put  himself  in  the  room  of  sinners ; 
and  therefore  he  was  treated  as  if  tiieir  sins  had 
been  his  own,  so  far  as  the  punishment  of  them 
went.  He  had  to  bear  the  curse  as  fully  as  if  he 
had  personally  incurred  it.  And  just  because  he 
did  so,  the  blessing  is  as  freely  given  to  them  who 
believe,  as  if  they  personally  deserved  it ;  for 
what  the  Saviour  deserves  for  his  obedience  and 
death,  that  the  sinner  obtains  by  relying  on  him 

for  a  holy  salvation. 

H  2 


78  JUSTIFICATION    BY    FAITH. 

This  is  the  justification  revealed  and  pro- 
mised  in  the  Gospel.  This  is  the  justification 
which  Paul  sought  and  found  by  believing ;  he 
was  welcomed,  accepted,  and  blessed,  by  God  at 
the  cross,  as  if  he  had  never  sinned  ;  because  on 
that  cross  the  Lamb  of  God  made  his  soul  an 
offering  for  sin.  And  what  more  could  a  sinner 
wish,  than  to  be  received  with  as  much  tender- 
ness as  if  he  were  innocent  ?  Innocence  secures 
the  fulness  of  the  Divine  love  and  favour.  The 
angels  are  innocent,  and  therefore  are  the  sons 
of  God,  radiant  with  his  glory,  and  replenished 
with  his  own  blessedness  for  ever.  And  yet — 
Gabriel  when  he  tunes  his  harp,  and  prostrates 
his  crown  before  the  eternal  throne ;  and  sera- 
phim, when  they  cover  their  faces  with  their 
wings,  in  adoration  of  God  and  the  Lamb,  are 
not  more  welcome  than  a  sinner  returning  to 
God  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  is  !  He,  indeed, 
is  not  innocent ;  but,  for  the  sake  of  that  blood 
on  which  he  relies,  he  is  received  as  graciously 
and  loved  as  freely,  as  admiring  cherubim  or 
adoring  seraphim  are.  Accordingly  Paul,  when 
speaking  of  "  the  principahties  and  powers  in 
heavenly  places,"  as  studying  the  manifold  wis- 


JUSTIFICATION     BY    FAITH.  79 

dom  of  God,  adds,  "  In  Christ,  we  [we  in  com- 
mon with  them)  have  boldness  and  access  with 
confiden.ce,  by  the  faith  of  Him." 

It  is  no  valid  objection  against  this  simple 
view  of  justification,  that  God  visits  the  trans- 
gressions of  believers  "with  the  rod,"  and  their 
iniquity  "  with  stripes."  In  this  respect,  in- 
deed, they  are  not  treated  as  innocent ;  but,  what 
is  far  better  for  them,  *«  God  dealeth"  with  them 
"as  with  sons."  "For  what  son  is  he  whom 
the  Father  chasteneth  not  ?  Whom  the  Lord 
loveth  he  chasteneth,  and  scourgeth  every  son 
whom  he  receiveth."  Only  the  really  innocent 
can  be  exempted  from  all  suffering.  Believers 
are,  however,  treated  as  righteous,  so  far  as  it  is 
good  for  them  to  be  so. 

They  are  adopted  into  the  family  of  God,  and 
made  heirs  of  eternal  life,  as  freely  and  fully  as 
if  they  were  personally  righteous  or  wholly  inno- 
cent :  and  if  they  are  made  to  feel  their  sinful- 
ness by  their  pardon,  and  are  only  acquitted  as 
those  who  are  justly  condemned  ;  this  method  of 
showing  mercy  does  not  lessen  the  value  of  the 
boon,  but,  indeed,  enhances  it,  and  sustains  the 
honour  of  the  law  and  the  Gospel  at  the  same 


80  JUSTIFICATION    BY   FAITH. 

time.  For  it  would  not  be  good  for  us  to  be 
pardoned  so,  that  our  guilt  should  seem  palli- 
ated ;  nor  to  escape  from  the  curse  so,  that  we 
should  not  feel  that  we  had  been  under  it.  Such 
a  way  of  saving  sinners  would  be  as  injurious  to 
their  own  spiritual  interests,  as  it  would  be  dis- 
honourable to  God.  Accordingly,  it  is  not  God's 
way  in  justifying  the  ungodly  who  believe  in 
Jesus :  he  welcomes  them  as  if  they  were  godly, 
but  makes  them  to  feel  and  confess  that  they  are 
ungodly.  Thus,  even  the  aboundings  of  divine 
grace  towards  sinners  are  "  in  all  wisdom  and 
prwdence ;"  for  whilst  they  remove  the  sting  and 
stain  of  guilt  from  the  conscience,  they  increase, 
rather  than  lessen,  the  sense  of  the  evil  of  sin, 
in  every  conscience  which  is  purged  by  the  blood 
of  Christ  from  "dead  works," — i,  e.  from  works 
which  deserve  death. 

Here,  then,  is  the  justification  which  all  sin- 
ners need,  and  which  awaits  every  sinner  who, 
like  Paul,  will  believe  in  Christ,  that  he  may  be 
justified  by  the  faith  of  Christ :  God  will  accept 
him  as  righteous,  for  the  sake  of  the  righteous- 
ness of  Christ,  and  treat  him  for  ever  as  one 
reconciled  by  the  blood  of  the  cross.     Like  the 


JUSTIFICATION    BY   FAITH.  81 

Father  of  the  returned  prodigal,  God  will  rejoice 
over  him,  and  receive  him  into  complete  son- 
ship.  Having  thus  seen  what  justification  really 
is,  you  now  see, 

First,  How  the  Gospel  suits  your  case  as  a 
sinner.  It  assures  you  that,  by  believing  on 
Christ,  God  will  welcome  and  accept  you  as  fully 
as  if  you  had  never  sinned.  Now  this  is  exactly 
what  you  want  and  wish.  You  do  not  wish  to  be 
treated  as  He  treats  the  innocent  angels,  except 
so  far  as  that  is  necessary  to  the  safety  of  your 
soul.  Accordingly,  you  do  not  object  to  those 
fatherly  chastisements  which  the  children  of  God 
have  to  endure.  What  you  desire  is,  to  be  a 
child  of  God.  Well ;  there  is  ample  provision 
in  the  Gospel  for  making  you  what  you  thus 
wish  to  be;  for  in  comJng  to  God  by  Christ 
he  will  treat  you,  for  Christ's  sake,  as  if  you 
were  righteous.  Now  it  is  because  you  are  not 
righteous,  but  sinful  and  unholy,  that  you  are 
afraid.  All  your  fear  arises  from  your  aggravated 
guilt  and  utter  unworthiness.  You  cannot  forget 
what  you  have  been,  nor  overlook  what  you  are, 
as  a  sinner  before  God.  W^ell ;  you  ought  not  to 
forget  nor  overlook  it.     It  is,  however,  a  mercy 


82  JUSTIFICATION    BY    FAITH. 

to  feel  sensible  of  it,  and  humbled  for  it !  But 
now  tell  me,  how  would  you  feel  if  you  were  as 
innocent  as  a  holy  angel  ?  Suppose  that  you 
had  never  sinned  in  thought,  word,  or  deed, 
would  you  be  afraid  then  ?  Would  you,  in  that 
case,  doubt  whether  God  would  admit  you  into 
his  favour  and  kingdom  ?  No ;  "  the  righteous 
Lord  loveth  righteousness,"  and  therefore  you 
would  feel  confident,  if  you  were  perfectly  righ- 
teous, that  you  would  meet  with  no  refusal  from 
God.  You  could  calculate  to  a  certainty  then, 
upon  eternal  happiness  !  So  you  might ;  for 
God  can  as  soon  cease  to  live,  as  refuse  to  love 
the  innocent.  "But  what  is  all  this  to  the 
point,"  you  say,  *«  seeing  I  am  not  only  not 
innocent,  but  very  guilty  and  depraved  too?" 
True ;  but  if  there  is  a  righteousness  so  meri- 
torious, that,  for  the  sake  of  it,  God  can  and  will 
treat  you  as  if  you  were  not  guilty,  this  would 
answer  the  same  purpose  as  perfect  innocence 
on  your  own  part.  Do  you  not  see  that  ?  You 
are,  indeed,  utterly  unworthy ;  but  the  Saviour  is 
infinitely  worthy  :  if,  therefore,  you  can  have  all 
the  benefit  of  Ais  worthiness  placed  to  your  own 
account,  you  will  be  as  safe  as  if  you  had  never 


JUSTIFICATION    BY   FAITH.  83 

sinned.  Now  this  is  just  what  God  does  for  sin- 
ners, when  they  apply  to  Christ  for  all  their 
salvation :  he  places  to  their  account  the  right- 
eousness of  Christ,  so  that  he  welcomes  them  as 
if  it  were  all  their  own. 

Now  this  is  the  provision  made  for  the  jus- 
tification of  the  ungodly  who  will  believe  in 
Christ ;  and,  most  certainly,  it  fully  meets  your 
case  as  a  sinner,  however  guilty  you  may  be ;  for 
your  unworthiness  cannot  exceed  the  worthiness 
of  the  Lamb  slain.  "True,"  you  say,  "the 
•'  righteousness  of  Christ  is  enough  to  justify 
me,  or  any  sinner ;  but  the  question  is,  will  God 
impute  that  righteousness  to  me?  will  he  give 
me  the  benefit  of  it  ?"  This  question  implies  a 
doubt,  if  not  a  fear,  that  he  may  refuse  to  do  so 
in  your  case.  I  therefore  ask  at  once, — WTiy  do 
you  fear  that  God  will  refuse  to  justify  you  for 
the  sake  of  Christ  ?  Has  he  anywhere  said  that 
he  will  not  ?  Is  it  his  custom  to  refuse  those  who 
are  willing  to  submit  to  the  righteousness  of 
Christ  ?  Has  he  ever  sent  away  any  one  soul 
unclothed  with  that  robe,  who  sought  it  in  good 
earnest  ?  No  !  All  history,  all  heaven,  says 
No!     And  were  all  hell  compelled  to  answer 


84  JUSTIFICATION    BY    FAITH. 

these  questions,  it  would  say  No.  Why,  then, 
are  you  afraid  of  Zi  refusal  ?  There  is  nothing 
in  the  whole,  or  in  any  part,  of  the  character  of 
God,  which  renders  it  necessary  that  he  should 
reject  you  ;  for,  by  the  righteousness  of  Christ, 
he  can  be  perfectly  just  in  justifying  any  one 
who  believes :  and,  as  his  justice  is  thus  on  your 
side,  it  is  self-evident  that  none  of  his  other 
perfections  can  be  against  you.  In  hke  manner, 
there  is  nothing  in  the  character  of  the  Saviour 
which  renders  your  rejection  necessary  or  likely. 
The  robe  of  his  righteousness  is  wide  enough  to 
embrace,  and  large  enough  to  cover,  your  soul ; 
and  he  is  not  less  willing  now  to  enfold  sinners 
in  it,  than  when  he  threw  it  around  the  chief  of 
sinners.  For  as  his  righteousness  is  "  upon"  all 
them  who  do  believe,  so  it  is  free  unto  all  who 
7viU  believe,  on  him  for  justification.  Now, 
really,  if  these  facts  do  not  fully  meet  your  case 
as  a  sinner,  it  must  be  a  very  peculiar  case,  and 
its  peculiarity  must  be  imaginary ,  not  actual; 
unless,  indeed,  you  are  still  uncertain  whether 
you  are  a  believer  or  not. 

But  now,  even  if  you  have  not  yet,  like  Paul, 
believed  in  Christ,  "  that"  you  «'  might  be  justi- 


JUSTIFICATION     BY    FAITH.  bO 

fied  ;"  still,  something  is  gained  by  this  inquiry, 
if  you  now  understand  what  justification  is,  and 
see  the  possibility  of  your  own  justification.  Are 
you  then  convinced  that  God  could  be  just  even 
in  justifying  you  by  faith  ?  Is  the  way  of  accept- 
ance through  the  merits  of  Christ  plain  to  you, 
in  all  things  but  upon  the  point  of  believing  ? 
Could  you  now  venture  to  hope  freely,  if  you 
were  sure  that  your  believing  is  faith  ?  Well ; 
we  are,  then,  in  a  fair  way  to  bring  this  matter 
to  a  favourable  issue.  And  it  will  facilitate  this, 
to  mark  distinctly  what  Paul  believed  in  Christ 
for. 

Now  he  says,  that  he  believed  that  he  might 
be  justified.  His  own  justification  was,  there- 
fore, his  first  object  when  he  applied  to  Christ. 
And  it  ought  to  have  been  the  first  blessing 
which  he  sought  by  faith ;  for,  until  a  con- 
demned sinner  is  acquitted  from  the  curse  of  the 
law,  no  other  blessing,  nor  all  the  other  bless- 
ings of  grace,  could  save  him.  The  sentence 
of  condemnation  must  be  repealed,  or  he  must 
perish,  whatever  else  were  done  for  him.  This 
solemn  fact  is,  however,  not  sufficiently  attended 
to  even  by  the  serious  :  and  hence  it  is,  that  many 
I 


86  JUSTIFICATION    BY    FAITH. 

of  them  begin  their  believing  in  Christ — not  in 
order  that  they  may  be  justified  at  once,  or  first, 
but  that  they  may  be  made  better,  and  be  **  born 
again."  I  do  not,  of  course,  find  fault  with  this 
object  in  believing.  Far  from  it.  The  man 
who  does  not  apply  to  Christ  to  be  made  a  "  new 
creature,"  does  not  apply  to  him  for  the  grand 
purpose  for  which  Christ  died  and  rose  again. 
But  still,  salvation  from  sin,  although  the  chief 
practical  object  of  the  Atonement,  is  not  its  on/y 
object.  Christ  died  to  redeem  us  from  the  curse 
of  the  law  ;  and  as  nothing  can  place  the  soul 
in  safety  while  it  is  under  that  curse,  those  who 
know  this  should  begin  their  believing  on  Christ, 
for  the  express  purpose  of  being  justified,  or 
freed  from  the  curse.  This  plan  of  proceeding 
would  not  displace  their  moral  designs,  nor 
lessen  their  solicitude  about  holiness ;  and  it 
would  bring  their  faith  in  Christ  to  the  test,  far 
more  effectually  than  the  other  plan  does.  The 
man  who  is  trying  to  rely  on  the  Saviour,  merely 
that  he  may  be  enabled  to  become  a  better  man, 
finds  this  kind  of  believing  so  easy,  that  it  is  no 
wonder  if  he  doubt  whether  his  believing  is  that 
faith  which  is  produced  by  the  operation  of  the 


JUSTIFICATION     BY     FAITH.  87 

Spirit ; — whereas,  were  he  to  go  to  the  mercy- 
seat  for  the  distinct  purpose  of  believing  in 
Christ,  in  order  that  the  curse  of  the  eternal 
law  might  be  taken  off  from  his  soul ;  this  so- 
lemn errand  would  show  him  how  much  faith  he 
needed,  and  how  necessary  it  is  to  pray,  "  Lord, 
help  my  unbelief,  and  increase  my  faith." 


CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE. 
No.  vr. 

FELLOWSHIP  WITH  GOD  AND  THE  LAMB. 


In  nothing,  perhaps,  is  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  upon  the  heart  more  sensible  or  self- 
evident,  than  in  the  new  views  and  feelings 
which  it  produces  in  regard  to  prayer.  Even 
where  prayer  is  not  altogether  neglected,  nor 
hurried  over  heedlessly,  there  is  a  wonderful 
change  of  sentiment  takes  place,  whenever  the 
Gospel  takes  effect  upon  the  mind.  We  see  and 
feel  then,  that,  except  for  temporal  mercies,  we 
never  prayed  in  thorough  good  earnest,  nor  had 
any  real  love  or  relish  for  devotion.  It  was  often 
performed  as  a  task,  and  always  as  a  mere  duty. 
We  attended  to  it  rather  to  prevent  temporal  evil, 
than  to  obtain  spiritual  good ;  and  more  from  a 
dread  of  the  consequences  of  being  prayerless, 


FELLOWSHIP   WITH    GOD.  89 

than  from  any  pleasure  we  had  in  praying.  In- 
deed, as  to  pleasure  in  devotion,  it  seemed  to  us 
a  contradiction  in  terms,  or  an  impossible  thing. 
Accordingly,  if  we  knew  any  one  who  was  in  the 
habit  of  spending  much  time  in  his  closet,  we 
were  ready,  if  not  to  rank  him  with  the  Phari- 
sees, who  loved  "  long  prayers,"  to  wonder  what 
he  found  to  say  during  the  time.  And  when  we 
heard  ministers  appeal  to  such  men,  affirming 
that  they  sometimes  left  their  closets  with  more 
reluctance  than  they  ever  felt  on  entering  them, 
and  that  they  could  almost  have  chosen  to  die  on 
their  knees,  or  to  have  spent  an  eternity  in  that 
happy  frame  of  mind,  we  either  knew  not  what 
to  think,  or  thought  that  they  had  a  very  strange 
taste  indeed.  In  a  word,  there  was  nothing 
seemed  so  unlikely  to  us,  as  that  we  should  ever 
take  pleasure  in  praying.  But  lo  !  when  we 
awoke  to  the  worth  of  our  immortal  souls,  and 
were  made  alive  to  the  infinite  value  of  an 
everlasting  salvation,  we  were  glad  of  any  oppor- 
tunity of  pouring  out  our  hearts  unto  God.  Our 
difficulty  then  was,  not  how  to  find  time  or  heart 
for  prayer,  but  how  to  obtain  answers  to  prayer : 
and  we  were  never  so  happy  as  when  hope  and 
i2 


90  FELLOWSHIP   WITH   GOD 

peace  were  stealing  upon  our  minds,  whilst  thus 
wrestling  with  God  for  mercy.  Then  we  began 
to  understand  what  we  had  heard  about  the 
pleasures  of  devotion,  and  no  longer  wondered 
that  communion  with  God  should  be  magnetic 
to  the  soul.  And  it  is  no  wonder!  For  what  can 
be  so  dehghtful  as  that  holy  calm  of  the  mind 
which  enables  us  to  unbosom  unto  God,  as  unto 
a  father,  all  our  feelings  and  desires ;  to  dwell 
on  all  his  perfections,  not  only  without  dism^iy  or 
dishke,  but  with  complacency  and  confidence  ;  to 
repeat  and  plead  all  his  great  and  precious  pro- 
mises with  faith  and  hope  ;  and  to  anticipate  his 
guidance  until  death,  and  his  presence  through 
eternity  ?  This  is  a  joy  which  the  world  cannot 
give.  Even  when  it  does  not  rise  so  high  as  all 
this,  it  is  more  satisfying  than  any  human  plea- 
sure ;  for  the  heart  is  relieved  and  soothed,  if  it 
can  only  pour  out  its  fears  and  anxieties  into 
the  bosom  of  God.  The  bare  consciousness 
of  having  felt  as  in  his  presence,  wept  as  in  his 
presence,  and  spoken  as  in  his  presence,  leaves  a 
Sweet  solemnity  upon  the  spirits,  which  is  heal- 
ing, if  not  exhilarating.  And  when  the  soul  can 
realize  God  as  noticing,  listening,  and  pitying, 


AND   THE   LAMB.  91 

and  feels  itself  getting  nearer  and  nearer  to  his 
presence  and  heart,  and  finds  itself  melted  and 
impressed,  as  if  he  were  visibly  present  or  au- 
dibly speaking,  then  its  joy  is  *'  unspeakable,'* 
even  if  it  is  not  **  full  of  glory." 
These  hints  will  remind  you  of  the 

"Moments  rich  in  blessing," 

which  you  have  spent  upon  your  knees  before 
the  Cross  and  the  mercy-seat.  You  can,  indeed, 
never  forget  those  closet  interviews  with  God 
and  the  Lamb ;  for  they  were  the  chief  means  of 
determining  your  choice,  of  fixing  your  princi- 
ples, and  of  forming  your  character.  You  may, 
indeed,  have  lost  so  much  of  your  first  de- 
votional spirit,  that  you  no  longer  obtain  such 
happy  interviews  with  God  in  your  closet ;  and  if 
so,  you  cannot  remember  the  past  without  pain. 
You  cannot,  however,  forget  the  days  of  old,  nor 
the  morning  of  your  first  love.  They  are  impe- 
rishable recollections  in  every  renewed  soul ;  for 
when  communion  with  God  sets  as  a  day-star  in 
the  heart,  the  memory  of  it  rises  as  a  dog-star  in 
the  conscience.  Your  shadow  is  not  more  in- 
separable from  you  than  the   consciousness  of 


92  FELLOWSHIP  WITH   GOD 

your  loss  and  declension  ;  and  hence  your  secret, 
if  not  your  public,  language  is,  "  O  that  it  were 
with  me  as  in  months  past,  when  the  candle  of 
the  Lord  shone  in  my  tabernacle !" 

Now,  when  those  who  have  enjoyed  com- 
munion with  God  lose  it  thus,  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  there  has  been,  on  their  own  part, 
some  sin,  imprudence,  or  remissness,  which  oc- 
casioned the  loss  ;  for  God  is  not  the  first  to  hide 
his  face,  nor  does  he  ever  withhold  his  presence 
arbitrarily.  He  may  not  always  manifest  himself 
to  the  soul  so  sensibly  and  sweetly  as  at  first ; 
but  he  does  not  withdraw  his  presence  entirely, 
except  when  he  is  provoked :  but  as  it  is  the 
exhalations  from  the  earth,  and  not  from  the 
heavens,  which  form  the  clouds  and  mist  that 
hide  the  natural  sun,  so  it  is  something  from 
ourselves,  not  from  God,  which  conceals  the  Sun 
of  Righteousness  from  those  who,  having  once 
walked  in  his  light,  now  walk  in  darkness. 
Such  being  the  fact  of  the  case,  it  is  self-evi- 
dent that  the  darkness  cannot  be  removed,  but 
by  the  removal  of  that  which  brought  it  on, 
whatever  it  was.  Whether  sin  or  sloth,  negli- 
gence or  irregularity,   wrong    tempers  or  bad 


AND    THE    LAMB.  93 

habits,  they  must  be  abandoned,  if  we  would 
have  the  light  of  the  Divine  countenance,  or  the 
joy  of  salvation,  restored.  For  "  if  we  say  that 
we  have  fellowship  with  Him,  and  walk  in  dark- 
ness, we  lie,  and  do  not  the  truth.''''  We  never 
can  combine  a  worldly  spirit  with  a  devotional 
spirit,  nor  keep  up  a  good  hope  in  a  bad  con- 
science. In  like  manner,  if  less  time  than  usual 
is  allowed  for  secret  prayer,  or  less  pains  taken 
to  enter  into  and  keep  up  the  spirit  of  it,  com- 
munion with  God  is  not  to  be  obtained,  and  need 
not  be  expected.  God  does  not,  indeed,  exact  a 
long  time  for  prayer;  but,  until  we  seek  him 
with  our  "  whole  heart,"  he  will  not  cheer  our 
hearts  with  the  sense  of  his  presence.  He  will 
be  "  inquired  of,"  before  he  will  shine  forth 
from  between  the  cherubim.  Now,  hasty  and 
heartless  prayer  does  not  amount  to  inquiring ; 
and  it  hinders  the  manifestations  of  the  Divine 
presence.  Indeed  haste,  like  the  unbelief  of  the 
Jews,  which  prevented  Christ  from  doing  many 
mighty  works  amongst  them,  prevents  God  from 
communing  with  the  soul  from  the  mercy-seat. 
There  is  not  time  for  it,  when  we  are  in  haste 
to  get  away  from  our  closets.     We  ourselves  are 


94  FELLOWSHIP   WITH   GOD 

not  prepared  to  enjoy  or  improve  it,  when  we 
are  up  from  our  knees  in  a  few  minutes.  We 
could  not  commune  with  a  friend  in  that  space 
of  time,  nor  in  that  state  of  mind :  so  that 
when  prayer  comes  to  this  low  ebb,  it  is  no 
wonder  \i  Bethel  is  turned  into  Luz  again,  and 
the  soul  sent  empty  away  from  the  throne  of 
grace. 

But,  whilst  all  this  is  only  too  true,  it  is 
equally  true  that  mistakes^  on  the  subject  of 
communion  with  God,  prevail  so  as  to  prevent 
it  in  a  great  measure,  evea  when  there  is  much 
prayer  and  watchfulness  mainlairied.  Some  do 
not  venture  to  expect  much  of  the  Divine  pre- 
sence, but  actually  lay  their  account  with  walk- 
ing often  in  darkness,  because  they  see  how  often 
Job,  and  David,  and  Asaph,  and  Jeremiah,  and 
the  Old  Testament  saints,  were  under  the  hidings 
of  the  Divine  countenance.  Observing  this  fact, 
some  believers  take  for  granted,  and  as  a  matter 
of  course,  that  they  must  experience  similar 
trials  of  their  faith  and  patience,  however  they 
act. 

Now,  it  is  certainly  true,  that  the  complaints  of 
the  Old  Testament  saints  are  only  too  appro- 


AND   THE   LAMB.  95 

priate  to  the  generality  of  Christians.  There  is 
almost  all  the  darkness  and  distress  of  mind, 
which  the  Psalms  are  employed  to  express,  and 
which  they  do  express  so  fully  and  emphatically. 
But  this  should  not  be  the  case — it  is  not  neces- 
sarily the  case — in  the  church  of  Christ.  We 
live  under  *«a  better  Covenant,'*  and  brighter 
promises ;  and  therefore  it  is  our  own  fault,  by 
misconduct  or  mistake,  if  we  have  no  more  light 
than  those  who  lived  under  the  old  Covenant. 
If,  however,  we  are  willing  and  trying  to  walk 
closely  with  God,  and  to  enjoy  an  habitual  sense 
of  his  presence,  why  form  our  ideas  or  expecta- 
tions from  the  state  of  things  under  the  old  Cove- 
nant ?  It  certainly  does  not  follow,  as  a  matter 
of  course,  that,  because  David  was  often  in  dark- 
ness, a  real  Christian  must  be  so  too.  It  is  not  a 
matter  of  necessity  that,  because  Job  could  not 
find  the  Divine  presence,  we  should  be  unable  to 
find  it.  These  good  men  had,  indeed,  some 
greater  excellencies  of  character  than  we  can 
pretend  to;  and,  on  that  ground,  were  more 
likely  to  be  honourei;!  v/ith  more  of  the  Divine 
presence ;  but  the  dispensations  which  they  lived 
under  did  not  provide  for  so  much  of  it  as  the 


96  FELLOWSHIP    WITH    GOD 

Gospel  does.  Christ  says  to  us,  *'  He  that  be- 
lieveth  on  me  shall  not  walk  in  darkness,  but 
have  the  light  of  life."  Accordingly,  we  do  not 
find  the  Apostles  complaining,  as  the  Prophets 
did,  that  ihey  were  under  the  hidings  of  God's 
face.  They  complain  bitterly  of  the  presence 
and  pressure  of  a  body  of  sin  and  death,  and  of 
a  law  in  their  members  which  warred  against  the 
law  of  their  minds  ;  but  never  of  an  absent  God, 
This  matter  requires  to  be  looked  into  mi- 
nutely, seeing  so  many  form  their  opinions  and 
expectations  of  communion  with  God,  from  the 
old,  instead  of  the  new.  Covenant.  Now,  we  do 
not  take  the  old  Covenant  for  our  principal 
guide  in  any  thing  else.  We  even  boast  of  our 
superior  light  and  liberty  under  the  Gospel,  and 
of  our  nearer  and  freer  access  to  God,  and  of  out 
greater  privileges.  But,  where  is  the  reality  of 
these  blessings,  if  we  must  be  as  often  in  dark- 
ness and  distress  of  soul  as  David  was  ?  I  say 
"  must,"  because  it  is  certain  that  we  may  and 
shall  go  without  the  sun,  if  we  do  not  walk  cir- 
cumspectly. The  Holy  Spirit  will  frown  upon 
sin  and  sloth  as  fully  under  the  Gospel  as  he  did 
under  the  law,  and  certainly  withhold  and  with- 


AND    THE    LAMB.  97 

draw  the  joy  of  salvation  from  backsliders.  All 
this  is  inevitable  from  the  eternal  principles  of 
the  Divine  character  and  government,  because  it 
is  the  only  v^ray  of  preventing  or  curing  sin  and 
backsliding  amongst  believers.  But  still,  the  real 
question  is,  What  have  they  to  expect  under  the 
Gospel,  whose  life  and  conversation  *'  becometh 
the  Gospel?"  Now,  as  they  are  not  warranted 
to  expect  exemption  from  trials  or  temptations, 
it  must  be  more  of  the  Divine  presence  than  was 
usually  enjoyed  by  the  saints  under  the  law. 
Accordingly,  except  in  those  churches  which  had 
fallen  from  their  first  love  and  purity,  we  find, 
amongst  the  primitive  Christians,  no  indications 
of  those  complaints  which  were  so  frequent  in 
the  Jewish  Church.  The  sad  and  piercing  cry, 
"  Why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ?" — and  ''  Why  art 
thou  silent  at  the  voice  of  my  roaring?" — is 
never  heard  from  any  believer,  in  any  of  the 
New  Testament  Churches ;  a  plain  proof  that, 
after  the  veil  of  the  temple  was  rent  from  top  to 
bottom,  believers  had  boldness  of  access  into  the 
holy  of  holies  by  the  blood  of  Christ,  and  were 
thus  sure  to  find  God  whenever  they  sought  him. 
Now,  from  this  fact,  and  not  from  the  case  of 

K 


98  FELLOWSHIP   WITH    GOD 

David,  we  ought  to  form  our  opinions  and  ex- 
pectations of  communion  with  God. 

Besides,  it  is  by  far  too  Uttle  remembered  that 
David  was  a  prophetic  type  of  the  Saviour,  and 
thus  gave  utterance  to  his  mediatorial  sorrows, 
as  well  as  to  his  own  personal  sorrows, — a  fact 
which  lessens  very  much  the  number  of  those 
hidings  of  the  Divine  presence  which  he  seems  to 
have  experienced.  In  like  manner,  their  num- 
ber is  still  further  reduced  by  the  fact,  that,  under 
the  Jewish  dispensation,  temporal  calamities  were 
considered  as  hidings  of  God's  countenance  ;  and 
delay  in  removing  affliction  was  spoken  of  as  the 
shutting  out  of  prayer.  It  is,  therefore,  both 
unnecessary  and  unwise  to  make  the  apparent 
experience  of  David  the  standard  of  what  may  be 
expected  from  a  close  walk  with  God  in  Christ. 
By  doing  so,  many  have  deprived  themselves  of 
much  comfort,  and  God  of  much  honour. 

The  truth  of  these  remarks  is  not  affected  by 
the  melancholy  fact,  that  the  enjoyment  of  the 
Divine  presence,  or  intimate  communion  wiih 
God,  is  a  rare  thing  in  the  present  day.  It  cer- 
tainly is  so :  but  not  because  God  is  unwilling 
to  commune   with    us  at   the    mercy-seat — not 


AND    THE   LAMB.  99 

because  there  is  not  ample  provision  made  for 
nearness  and  freeness  of  access  to  him, — but  be- 
cause so  few  seek  him  with  their  "whole  heart," 
or  allow  him  ime  to  manifest  his  presence  to 
their  souls.  Settle  it,  therefore,  in  your  own 
mind,  for  it  is  settled  already  and  unalterably  in 
his  Word,  that  you  are  "  not  straitened"  in  God 
or  in  the  Lamb.  Your  fellowship  may  be  truly 
and  habitually  with  them,  if  you  are  wilHng  to 
*«  walk  in  the  light,"  as  they  are  in  the  light.  If 
you  are  ready,  "  all  things"  in  heaven  "  are 
ready,"  for  sweet  communion  with  God.  The 
Lamb  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  with  a  censer 
of  meritorious  incense,  in  the  shadow  of  which 
you  may  always  kneel  with  safety,  and  from  the 
fragrance  of  which  your  prayers  raay  always  find 
acceptance,  when  they  are  according  to  the  will 
of  God.  And  the  infirmity-helping  Spirit  is  ever 
at  hand  to  teach  you  how  to  pray  and  what  to 
pray  for.  *' Enter, ^'  therefore,  ''into  thy  closet, 
and  when  thou  hast  shut  thy  door,  pray  to  thy 
Father  which  is  in  secret,  and  thy  Father  which 
seeth  in  secret  shall  reward  thee  openly. ''^ 

In  order,  however,  to  understand  the  subject 
of  communion  with  God  aright,  more  mistakes 


100  FELLOWSHIP    WITH    GOD 

require  to  be  removed.  Now,  it  is  a  mistake  to 
imagine  that  nothing  amounts  to  the  Divine  pre- 
sence in  prayer,  but  what  produces  a  holy  calm 
of  mind,  or  a  high  excitement  of  feeling.  We 
naturally  make  our  first  sensible  enjoyments  in 
prayer,  the  standard  by  which  we  judge  of  our 
future  success.  Accordingly,  when  we  do  not 
find  that  delight  nor  liberty  which  we  experi- 
enced formerly,  we  are  apt  to  conclude  that  God 
has  hid  his  face  from  us,  or  that  we  have  lost  the 
spirit  of  devotion.  Under  this  impression,  we  go 
heartless  and  hopeless  to  our  closets,  and  feel,  at 
times,  almost  inclined  to  give  up  prayer,  because 
we  have  no  longer  our  usual  enjoyment  in  it. 
Sometimes,  indeed,  our  hearts  are  so  cold  and 
dead,  that  it  seems  an  insult  to  God  to  attempt 
prayer  in  such  a  frame.  We  cannot,  however, 
live  long  without  it ;  and  therefore  we  are  com- 
pelled to  pray,  as  we  can,  soon.  Our  memory, 
however,  clings  to  the  sweet  and  soothing  mo- 
ments of  the  days  of  old,  and  our  souls  continue 
to  long  for  the  return  of  these  "  times  of  refresh- 
ing from  the  presence  of  the  Lord."  Now  this  is 
right :  but  it  is  wrong  to  make  them  the  standard 
of  the  divine  presence.      Such  ecstatic  enjoyment 


AND    THE    LAMB.  101 

in  devotion,  as  that  which  is  sometimes  vouch- 
safed to  the  soul  at  the  outset^  is  not  necessary  in 
order  to  our  going  on  in  the  walk  of  faith.  For, 
when  we  began  to  follow  Christ,  there  was  re- 
luctance, yea,  aversion,  of  heart  to  prayer,  to  be 
overcome.  It  was,  therefore,  necessary,  in  order 
to  reconcile  and  attach  us  to  prayer,  to  grant 
such  enjoyment  in  it,  as  should  prove  to  us  that 
it  was  no  vain  nor  v^^earisorae  thing  to  wait  on 
God,  But  now  we  are  convinced  of  this,  and 
ashamed  of  our  former  prejudices  asjainst  devo- 
tion. We  know  by  experience  that  it  is  "  good 
to  draw  nigh  unto  God,"  nor  could  any  one  per- 
suade us  that  it  is  insipid  or  useless  work.  We 
are  not  ashamed  to  avow  that  our  happiest  mo- 
ments have  been  spent  at  his  throne.  So  far, 
therefore,  our  first  communion  with  God  has 
answered  the  purpose  of  establishing  the  claims 
and  the  habit  of  prayer :  and  this  being  ac- 
complished, raptures  should  not  be  necessary  to 
maintain  them,  but  the  steady  oar  of  duty,  with- 
out the  full  sail  of  excitement,  enough  to  carry 
us  on. 

This  is,  however,  only  the  lowest  view  of  the 
matter,  and  but  introductory  to  more  scriptural 
K  2 


102  FELLOWSHIP   WITH    GOD 

views  of  it.  The  real  fact  of  the  case  is — that 
our  first  enjoyments  in  prayer  are  not  always 
connected  with  clear  views  of  the  whole  scheme 
of  salvation.  What  we  knew  of  it  at  first,  we 
felt  deeply,  and  prized  highly ;  but,  then,  we  at- 
tached quite  as  much  importance  to  our  own 
feelings,  as  to  the  facts  which  gave  rise  to  them  : 
and  drew,  perhaps,  more  of  our  comfort  from 
them,  than  from  the  Gospel  itself.  We  might 
not,  indeed,  be  aware  of  this  at  the  time,  and 
may  never  have  intended  to  do  so  ;  but  that  we 
really  did  so,  is  evident,  from  the  single  fact,  that 
when  our  feelings  began  to  decline,  our  comfort 
decayed  with  them,  although  our  belief  of  the 
Gospel  continued  almost  unaltered  ; — a  plain 
proof  that  we  attached,  though  perhaps  uninten- 
tionally, more  importance  to  the  work  of  the 
Spirit  in  us,  than  to  the  work  of  Christ  for  us. 
God,  I  am  fully  aware,  does  not  make  the  nice 
distinctions  which  theorists  do  on  this  subject,  nor 
does  he  scorn  the  confusion  of  ideas  which  mark 
our  first  applications  to  the  Saviour.  He  can 
listen  with  pleasure  to  the  broken  music  of  a 
"  bruised  reed,"  however  Sandemanianism  may 
despise  it.     But,   whilst  all   this   is   true,  it  is 


AND    THE    LAMB.  ]03 

equally  true  that  He  will  gradually  bring  off  con- 
verts from  relying  on  their  feeling s,  just  as  he 
brought  them  off  from  relying  on  their  works. 
In  a  word,  he  will  make  Christ  himself,  and  his 
finished  work,  more  precious  to  our  souls,  than 
any  feelings  which  they  gave  rise  to. 

Here,  then,  except  the  Holy  Spirit  has  been 
griev?d  by  an  untender  walk,  is  the  grand  rea- 
son why  God  does  not  continue  our  sensible  and 
rapturous   enjoyments  in  prayer  :  we  were,  un- 
awares,  it   may  be,   but  certainly,  putting  it  in 
the  place  of  the  Saviour  himself;  and  therefore 
God  wisely  and  kindly  withheld  it  as  a  direct 
communication  from  his  Spirit,  that  we  might 
draw  all  our  hope  and  comfort  from  the  Gospel 
itself,  and  learn  to  live  by  faith  upon  Christ  as 
he  is  revealed  to  us  in  the  scriptures.     God  has 
not,  therefore,  been  hiding  his  face  from  you, 
nor  yet  shutting  out  your  prayer,  because  he  has 
not  shone  upon  your  soul  in  prayer  as  formerly  ; 
but  because  you  required  to  be  more  completely 
'*shut  up  unto  the  faith."    You  were  living  more 
by  sense  than  by  faith,  and  thus  it  became  neces- 
sary to  draw  and  drive  you  off  from  changeable 
feelings  to  an  unchangeable  Saviour.      Accord- 


104  FELLOWSHIP   WITH    GOD,  &C. 

ingly,  the  want  of  sensible  enjoyment  has  com- 
pelled you  to  re-examine  the  plan  of  salvation, 
and  to  re-consider  whether  you  were  seeking  to 
be  justified  by  faith,  or,  *'  as  it  were,  by  the 
works  of  the  law."* 


*  See  this  subject  fully  treated  in  the  companion  to  this  work, 
"  Conwiunion  with  God,  or  a  Guide  to  the  Devotional,"  by  the 
Author. 


CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE. 
No.  VII. 

THE  HOPE  OF  SALVATION  THE  BEST  SAFEGUARD 
OF  THE  UNDERSTANDING  AGAINST  ERROR,  AND 
OF  THE  HEART  AGAINST  SIN. 


Alexander  the  Great  having,  on  one  occa- 
sion, distributed  the  whole  of  his  private  fortune 
amongst  his  friends  and  generals,  was  asked,  why 
he  left  nothing  for  himself:  "Hope  is  still  left 
for  me,"  said  the  ardent  monarch.  And,  in  the 
affairs  of  this  life,  hope  is  still  the  last  thing 
which  we  relinquish.  It  seats  itself  upon  the 
throne  of  the  heart  in  the  morning  of  life,  and 
leaves  it  only  when  the  heart  is  breaking  under 
the  cold  hand  of  death.  It  hovers  around  the 
cradle  of  our  infancy,  when  *«  it  doth  not  appear 
what  we  shall  be  ;"  and  over  the  coffin  of  our 
old  age,  when  it  doth  not  appear  what  we  are. 


106  THE    HOPE    OF    SALVATION. 

Hope  is  the  sun  that  rules  the  "day,"  and  the 
moon  that  rules  the  *«  night"  of  life.     It  is  the 
rainbow  which  gilds  the  clouds  of  our  calamity, 
and  the  morning  star  which  leads  on  our  brighter 
prospects.     In  a  word,  hope  is  to  the  soul,  what 
the  soul  is  to  the  body — the  mainspring  of  life 
and  action.    Take  it  away,  and  soon  the  energies 
of  the   body  and  the  mind  wither  and  perish. 
Hopeless  labour  is  all  fatigue  ;  hopeless  enterprise 
is  unsteady ;  hopeless  suffering  is  overwhelming. 
Whatever,  therefore,  may  be  said  in  theory, 
against  hoping  too  much,  and  whatever  may  be 
proved  from  experience,  against  the  indulgence 
of  sanguine  hopes,  the  sober  fact  is,  that  hope  is 
essential  to  success  in  all  the  business  of  life; 
because,  without  it,  diligence  is  weak  and  reso- 
lution wavering.     The  business  of  life  could  not 
go  on,  nor  the  trials  of  life  be  sustained,  if  man- 
kind did  not  wear  the  helmet  of  hope.    It  is  their 
strength  and  safeguard  amidst  the  duties  and  suf- 
ferings of  the  present  state  of  being. 

All  this  is  equally  true  of  the  hope  of  salva- 
tion :  it  is  the  helmet  of  the  Christian,  which, 
by  protecting  his  head  from  mental  error,  fortifies 
his  heart  against  temptation,  distraction  and  des- 


THE    HOPE    OF    SALVATION.  107 

pendency.  His  very  character  is  both  formed  and 
confirmed  chiefly  by  the  hope  of  salvation,  and 
rises  or  falls  as  that  hope  is  high  or  low.  When 
his  hopes  are  dim  or  languid,  duty,  and  especially 
devotion,  languishes  with  them  ;  when  they  are 
bright  and  firm,  all  duties  are  pleasant,  and  all 
trials  tolerable.  He  has  then  heart  and  hand  to 
do  and  endure  the  will  of  God.  But  when  the 
hopes  of  a  Christian  decline  and  fade  away,  until 
he  hardly  knows  what  to  think  of  his  case,  the 
effect  is,  that  although  he  will  not  throw  up  his 
profession,  nor  risk  his  character,  he  will  not 
maintain  either  so  well  as  he  did  whilst  he  was 
sustained  by  a  hope  full  of  immortality.  He  may 
still  pray  in  his  family  and  in  his  closet ;  but  not 
with  a  truly  devotional  spirit.  He  may  still  con- 
tinue regular  in  his  attendance  upon  all  divine 
ordinances;  but  he  will  not  come  to  them  with 
his  former  relish  or  expectation  :  for  hope  is  the 
very  soul  of  devotion  and  holiness,  and  therefore 
they  abound  or  subside  together.  Hence  the  im- 
portance and  necessity  of  maintaining  the  hope 
of  salvation. 

Now,  it  is  a  curious  fact,  that  the  truly  serious 
are  the  most  '*  slow  of  heart"  to  take  up,  or  to 


108  THE    HOPE    OF   SALVATION. 

keep  up,  the  hope  of  salvation.  They  are  the 
last  to  lay  hold  of  it,  and  the  first  to  let  it  go,  in 
their  own  case.  Indeed,  real  converts  are  almost 
the  only  class  who  require  to  be  urged  to  cherish 
hope.  The  generality,  even  of  the  careless  and 
undecided,  hope  for  salvation,  just  as  they  hope 
for  any  thing  else,  as  a  matter  of  course.  "  As  I 
hope  to  be  saved,"  is  the  usual  mode  of  expres- 
sion, when  any  doubtful  assertion  is  confirmed. 
Thus  it  is, — we  seldom  see  a  careless  man  who 
is  afraid  to  hope  for  salvation  ;  and  we  never  see 
a  godly  man,  who  has  not  been  afraid  [to  hope 
for  it  in  his  own  case.  Indeed,  it  is  with  a  timid 
heart  and  a  trembling  hand,  that  all  true  peni- 
tents lay  hold  of  the  hope  of  eternal  life.  Even 
when  they  see  both  their  way  and  their  welcome 
to  "the  hope  set  before  them"  in  the  Gospel, 
their  sense  of  utter  unworthiness  almost  unfits 
them  for  hoping  freely  or  fully.  And  even  when 
they  venture  to  cherish  "  a  good  hope  through 
grace,"  they  are  almost  ashamed  and  afraid  to 
acknowledge  it  to  others,  or,  indeed,  to  them- 
selves. Now,  if  such  timidity  and  hesitation 
were  as  wise  as  they  are  amiable,  it  would  be 
wise  to  let  them  alone  ;  for  any  thing  that  would 


THE    HOPE   OF  SALVATION.  109 

change  them  into  rashness  or  flippant  boldness 
would  be  highly  unwise  and  wicked.  They  may, 
however,  be  renewed,  without  being  replaced  by 
presumption  or  boasting.  Paul's  humility  was 
not  destroyed  nor  lessened,  when  he  ventured  to 
say  of  Christ,  "  He  loved  me,  and  gave  himself 
for  wje."  In  fact,  the  belief  of  this  deepened  his 
humility,  by  increasing  his  happiness.  The  joy 
of  salvation  was  "the  strength"  of  his  heart,  in 
all  the  holy  principles,  in  which  it  was  strongest. 
How  did  he  pass  so  uncontaminated  through 
a  world  lying  in  wickedness;  and  so  unshaken 
through  all  the  clamour  and  sophistry  of  contro- 
versy; and  so  triumphant  through  all  his  trials 
and  persecutions  ?  He  wore  the  hope  of  sal- 
vation, as  a  helmet  upon  his  head ;  and  his  un- 
derstanding being  thus  protected  against  mental 
error,  his  heart  and  conscience  were  fortified 
against  temptation.  And  thus  alone  can  you 
keep  *' the  faith,"  or  continue  the  *'good 
fight;"  for,  without  the  hope  of  salvation  to 
guard  your  judgment,  your  principles  may  be 
so  upset  or  unsettled,  by  false  doctrine,  as  to 
yield  no  enjoyment  under  trouble,  and  no 
strength  in  the  hour  of  temptation. 

L 


110  THE    HOPE    OF   SALVATION. 

It  is,  I  am  aware,  more  common  to  encourage 
believers  in  their  work  and  warfare,  by  per- 
suading them  to  keep  up  heart,  than  by  urging 
them  to  guard  well  their  understanding  and 
judgment.  But  the  heart  cannot  be  kept  up, 
if  the  head  is  not  kept  safe  from  the  assaults  of 
error.  Our  intellectual  powers  must  be  pro- 
tected, if  we  would  keep  our  moral  powers  pure 
or  vigorous ;  for  we  cannot  feel  aright,  if  we 
judge  wrong;  nor  act  aright,  if  we  choose 
wrong ;  nor  maintain  a  good  conscience,  if  we 
give  way  to  a  disordered  imagination.  Now,  the 
grand  security  for  a  "sound  mind,"  and  through 
that,  for  a  **  pure  heart,"  is  to  ^^put  on  for  a 
helmet  the  hope  of  salvation^  That  hope,  by 
entrenching  the  understanding  in  the  truth  of 
the  Gospel,  will  best  lay  and  keep  open  the 
heart  to  all  the  holy  and  consoling  influence  of 
the  Gospel. 

The  point  on  which  these  general  remarks 
bear  is  this ;  we  may  be  so  tempted  by  infidelity 
and  false  doctrines,  and  get  so  entangled  with 
doubts  or  disputes,  as  to  be  unable  to  maintain 
our  ground.  Now,  as  every  one  cannot  pursue 
that  course  of  reading,  nor  follow  out  that  train 


THE    HOPE    OF   SALVATION.  Ill 

of  reasoning,  which  would  clear  up  all  specu- 
lative difficulties,  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance 
to  be  familiar  with  some  single  and  simple  fact 
of  revelation,  which  shall  be  an  "anchor  to  the 
soul,  sure  and  stedfast,*'  amidst  the  winds  of  doc- 
trine, and  the  fluctuations  of  opinion  ;  and  which 
shall  regjulate  the  mind,  as  the  masrnetism  of  the 
pole  does  the  motions  of  the  needle.  Now,  this 
security  is  to  be  found  in  "  the  hope  of  salva- 
tion." The  man  who  understands  the  salvation 
of  God,  and  cherishes  the  hope  of  it,  has,  within 
himself,  a  retreat  from  which  no  sophistry  nor 
error  can  drive  or  draw  him  away. 

Is  he  tempted  to  Infidelity?  Its  objections 
may  be  plausible,  and  its  sarcasms  perplexing, 
to  him.  He  may  be  unable  to  answer  or  to  ana- 
lyze them  in  detail.  They  may  throw  a  momen- 
tary spell  upon  his  spirit,  and  a  mist  on  his 
vision  :  but  he  will  see,  at  a  glance,  and  feel  with 
all  the  keenness  of  a  sensation,  that  in6delity  has 
nothing  to  offer,  which  can  be  compared  with  the 
"great  salvation"  it  would  rob  him  of.  For,  if 
present  hope  and  eternal  happiness  are  his  ob- 
jects, he  has  securities  for  them  in  the  Bible, 
infinitely  stronger  than  natural  religion  can  give 


112  THE   HOPE   OF  SALVATION. 

to  her  votaries,  for  the  vague  prospects  which 
they  cherish.  Thus,  the  moment  he  looks  to 
the  hope  of  salvation,  he  perceives  that  the  light 
of  nature  reveals  no  such  heaven  beyond  the 
grave,  nor  ratifies  any  one  hope  which  it  is  said 
to  inspire.  So  long,  therefore,  as  eternal  happi- 
ness is  dear  to  him,  his  faith  in  the  Gospel  is 
impregnable  to  all  the  assaults  of  scepticism,  be- 
cause he  must  be  a  losei'  by  that  system.  Thus, 
the  single  and  simple  reflection, — I  could  gain 
nothing,  and  I  might  lose  all,  by  relinquishing 
the  Bible, — enables  him  to  possess  his  soul  in 
patience,  amidst  all  the  mysteries  of  revelation, 
and  all  the  wiles  of  its  enemies. 

Nor  is  this  all :  the  man  who  is  familiar  with, 
and  confirmed  in,  the  hope  of  the  "  great  salva- 
tion," soon  perceives  that  its  character  is  pecu- 
liar; so  peculiar,  that  it  has  no  parallel  nor 
semblance  in  any  rival  system.  He  may  not 
know,  in  detail,  the  moral  character  of  ancient 
heathenism,  nor  the  precise  nature  of  that  heaven 
which  philosophy  dreamt  of;  but  from  all  that 
he  hears,  even  from  the  eulogists  of  the  philoso- 
phers, it  is  self-evident  to  him  that  they  never 
thought  of  such  a  salvation  as  the  Gospel  reveals. 


THE    HOPE    OF   SALVATION.  113 

Indeed,  the  more  he  is  plied  with  their  boasted 
discoveries,  the  more  will  he  feel  persuaded,  that 
it  never  "  entered  the  heart  of  man  to  conceive 
what  God  hath  laid  up  for  them  that  love  him.*' 
Thus,  the  humblest  believer  is  ball-proof  against 
all  the  array  of  infidel  philosophy ;  because  he 
has  only  to  observe,  that  its  best  morals  do  not 
amount,   even   in    theory,  to  conformity  to  the 
Divine  image  ;  nor  its  highest  purity  to  true  holi- 
ness ;  nor  its  brightest  prospects  to  any  thing  like 
the  heaven  of  the  Bible.     Its  very  Platos  are  vile, 
when  compared  with  the  Apostles  of  the  Lamb, 
and  its  Socrateses  are  but  children  in  their  com- 
pany.    In  a  word,  he  can  find  nothing,  true  or 
false,  in  any  system  of  natural  religion,  which 
even  borders  upon  the  sublime  idea  of  a  salva- 
tion which  embraces  the  sanctification  of  *'  soul, 
body,   and  spirit,"   for  eternity!       All  human 
schemes  propose  nothing  beyond  the  amendment 
of  human  nature  ;  for  the  Gospel  alone  proposes 
to  make  us  ^^hohj  as  God  is  holy^     We  have, 
therefore,  in  order  to  be  unmoved  by  ail  the  parade 
of  learned  scepticism,  only  to  keep  before  us  the 
holy  character  of  the  great  salvation  ;  that,  like 
the  spear  of  Ithuriel,  will  always  detect  Satan, 
L  2 


ll'l  THE  HOPE   OF  SALVATION. 

even  when  he  transforms  himself  into  an  angel 
of  the  Light  of  Nature. 

In  Hke  manner,  Is  the  behever  tempted  to 
Unitarianism  ?  He  is  perfectly  safe,  so  long  as 
he  wears,  as  a  helmet,  the  hope  of  that  salvation 
which  is  revealed  in  the  Gospel.  His  knowledge 
of  criticism,  or  of  logic,  or  of  ecclesiastical  his- 
tory, may  be  too  slight  to  assist  his  faitli.  But, 
even  if  he  is  unable  to  draw  upon  any  other  source 
than  his  English  Bible,  the  very  heaven  which  it 
reveals  will  render  his  faith  impregnable  to  the 
whole  artillery  of  Socinian  learning  and  Sophis- 
try. They  may  puzzle  him  with  the  ambigui- 
ties of  a  figurative  text,  or  set  him  fast  by  some 
sweeping  assertion,  or  perplex  him  by  an  appeal 
to  his  common  sense,  which  the  uncommon  sense 
of  an  angel  could  not  answer  by  dint  of  mere 
reasoning;  but  still  he  is  safe,  and  may  be  tri- 
umphant, if  he  wield  the  character  of  the  heaven 
of  the  Bible  manfully.  Neither  the  blustering 
assertions,  nor  the  sleek  insinuations  of  Unita- 
rianism, can  move  him,  while  he  takes  his  stand 
on  "the  sea  of  glass  before  the  throne  ;"  because 
there,  he  hears  songs  and  sentiments,  which  give 
the  lie  direct  to  both  the  letter  and  spirit  of  Uni- 


THE   HOPE   OF   SALVATION.  115 

tarian  worship.  There,  all  the  armies  of  heaven, 
at  the  same  time  and  in  the  same  terms,  adore 
both  God  and  the  Lamb.  Their  posture  is  as 
lowly,  and  their  song  as  lofty,  when  they  worship 
the  Son,  as  when  they  worship  the  Father.  And, 
in  regard  to  salvation,  all  '*the  spirits  of  just  men 
made  perfect"  ascribe  it  entirely  and  exclusively 
to  the  blood  of  Christ.  Thus,  there  rushes  down 
from  all  the  hearts  and  harps  of  heaven,  one 
uniform  and  everlasting  stream  of  equal  glory  to 
God  and  the  Lamb,  and  of  adoring  gratitude  for 
the  Atonement.  And,  then,  all  this  goes  forward 
in  the  presence,  and  with  the  permission,  and 
therefore  by  the  appointment,  of  God  :  for  nei- 
ther angels  nor  saints  would  dare  to  worship  as 
they  do,  in  heaven,  if  it  were  not  **  the  will  of 
Godf^  that  they  should  honour  the  Son  even  as 
they  honour  the  Father ;  and  that  the  Atonement 
should  have  all  the  glory  of  salvation.  Nothing 
but  the  Divine  will  could  establish  such  worship 
amongst  perfect  spirits ;  and  it  is  self-evident  that 
God  would  not  have  willed  it,  if  it  were  not 
agreeable  to  the  eternal  facts  of  his  nature,  and 
to  the  moral  principles  of  his  government. 
Thus  the  believer  has  all  heaven  on  his  side. 


116  THE    HOPE   OF   SALVATIOX. 

in  defence  of  his  hope  of  salvation  through  the 
merits  of  a  divine  and  atoning  Saviour.  If 
therefore,  he  cannot  quote  scholar  against  scho- 
lar, nor  antiquity  against  modern  upstarts,  nor 
the  canons  of  criticism  against  sciohsts,  he  can 
quote  the  "  New  Song"  against  all  the  reason- 
ings and  railings  of  his  opponents,  and  appeal 
to  "the  general  assembly"  of  saints  and  angels, 
for  the  truth  of  his  sentiments.  That  army  of 
the  living  God  cannot,  he  is  sure,  mislead  nor 
deceive  him  ;  and  as  he  knows,  from  their  ex- 
ample, what  is  the  "  will"  of  God  in  heaven, 
and  how  it  is  "done"  there,  he  is  equally  sure 
that,  whilst  adoring  God  and  the  Lamb,  and 
glorying  only  in  the  Cross,  he  is  doing  the  will 
of  God  *'on  earth"  exactly  "as  it  is  done  in 
heaven."  Thus  the  great  principles  of  a  Chris- 
tian's faith  are  as  infallible  as  the  worship  of 
heaven.  We  have  only  to  keep  clearly  before 
our  minds  the  character  of  the  great  salvation, 
which  is — that  it  is  blood-bought,  in  order  to  see 
at  a  glance  that  Unitarianism  is  as  unlike  it  as 
Mahometanism  is. 

In  like  manner,  Is   the  Believer  tempted  to 
Antinomianism  ?      He  is  perfectly  safe  against 


THE   HOPE    OF   SALVATION.  117 

all  its  insinuating  snares,  while  he  maintains  the 
hope  of  that  salvation  which  is  revealed  in  the 
Gospel.  It  is  a  holy  salvation,  if  it  is  any  thing. 
A  salvation  from  sin,  not  in  sin.  How  any  one 
can  overlook  this  self-evident  fact,  is  most  ama- 
zing ;  for  it  is  written,  as  with  sun-beams,  on 
every  principle  and  promise  of  the  Gospel.  It 
is,  however,  both  overlooked  and  practically  de- 
nied by  some  who  profess  the  firmest  attachment 
to  the  doctrines  of  grace.  They  even  boast  that 
the  divine  law  is  not  binding  upon  them  as  a 
rule  of  life ;  that  they  are  free  to  live  as  they 
like;  that  sin  can  do  them  no  real  injury,  and 
that  God  does  not  see  any  iniquity  in  them  !  I 
once  heard  one  of  this  school  declare,  from  the 
pulpit,  that  if  he  were  to  go  out  and  commit  a 
murder,  the  sin,  although  it  might  bring  him  to 
the  gallows,  would  not  only  not  risk  his  salva- 
tion, but  it  could  not  for  a  moment  bring  even 
the  shadow  of  a  doubt  upon  his  mind  as  to  the 
certainty  of  his  salvation.  In  this  form,  Anti- 
nomianism  is  its  own  antidote,  and  any  thing 
but  a  temptation  to  believers.  This,  however, 
is  not  the  form  which  it  usually  assumes:  it 
comes  before  us  speaking  great  things  of  Christ 


118  THE    HOPE    OF   SALVATION. 

and  grace,  and  ascribing  all  the  glory  of  salva- 
tion to  them  alone.  It  almost  professes  to  open 
the  Lamb's  Book  of  Life,  and  to  read  therein 
the  very  names  of  its  adherents.  It  takes  up  the 
case  of  the  weary  and  heavy-laden  sinner,  and 
interprets  all  his  feelings  into  proofs  of  his  elec- 
tion and  eternal  justification.  It  goes  into  all 
the  worst  workings  of  the  heart,  and  teaches 
those  who  are  conscious  of  them,  that  they  must 
be  the  children  of  God,  because  they  notice 
these  things.  Now,  as  all  the  truly  serious  are 
conscious  of  much  indwelling  sin,  and  of  many 
imperfections ;  and  as  these  things  often  destroy 
or  damp  their  hope  of  salvation  ;  and  as  they 
naturally  wish  to  feel  assured  of  their  safety; 
it  is  a  strong  temptation  to  them,  when  any  one 
offers  to  prove  their  election  from  the  very  facts 
which  lead  them  to  doubt  it.  And  the  proposal 
to  do  so  is  the  more  plausible,  because  the  pre- 
tence is,  that  the  sole  design  is  to  exalt  the 
Saviour  and  to  humble  the  sinner — to  glorify 
God,  and  give  peace  through  the  blood  of  the 
Cross — to  endear  the  everlasting  Covenant,  and 
honour  the  Eternal  Spirit.  All  this  is  so  like 
the  glorious  Gospel,  and  embraces  so  much  of 


THE    HOPE    OF    SALVATION.  119 

its  grand  design,  that  one  can  hardly  think  of 
suspecting  its  truth  or  its  tendency.  And  as 
the  truly  serious  do  not  intend  to  apply  this 
offered  relief  to  any  bad  purpose,  but  merely 
to  get  over  their  doubts  and  fears  by  it ;  and 
as  they  wish  for  no  liberty  to  sin, — this  easy 
and  speedy  way  of  reaching  assurance  becomes 
very  tempting  to  them,  especially  if  they  are 
under  a  ministry  which  does  not  clearly  show 
them  "a  better  way."  For  the  fact  is,  an 
awakened  conscience  and  a  wounded  spirit  will 
seek  relief  somewhere ;  and,  if  they  do  not 
find  it  in  low  doctrinal  sentiments,  they  will 
grasp  at  it  in  high,  and  take  it  from  any 
thing  rather  than  sink  into  despair.  If,  there- 
fore, they  find  that  the  ministry  which  has 
wounded,  does  not  heal  them,  or  that  it  makes 
salvation  by  faith  appear  quite  as  difficult  to 
obtain  as  salvation  by  works  would  be,  and 
thus  brings  them  no  nearer  to  their  object;  it 
is  no  wonder  if  they  try  another  ministry,  and 
even  welcome  one  which  turns  their  doubts 
and  perplexities,  as  well  as  their  desires,  into 
proofs  of  faith  and  tokens  of  safety. 

It  is  in  this  way  that  many  are  drawn  into 


120  THE    HOPE    OF  SALVATION. 

Antinomian  principles.  Their  object,  at  first, 
was  chiefly  to  get  hold  of  something  which 
would  give  rest  to  their  souls ;  and,  as  that 
kind  of  preaching  which  makes  saving  faith 
appear  quite  as  impossible  as  perfect  obedi- 
ence, did  not  relieve  them,  but  rather  tantalized 
them  by  a  remedy  which,  whilst  it  was  called 
free,  was  kept  back  until  their  works  should 
demonstrate  their  faith,  they  were  glad  to  grasp 
at  any  thing  which  promised  speedier  relief. 
Accordingly,  when  they  were  assured  that  their 
fears  and  desires,  and  even  their  very  doubts, 
were  the  work  of  the  Spirit  in  them ;  and  that 
his  work  in  the  soul  is  the  warrant  to  believe 
that  the  death  of  Christ  and  the  decree  of 
God  were  for  the  soul ; — this  nostrum  met  all 
their  difficulties.  For  as  they  could  say,  with 
perfect  truth,  that  they  felt  and  desired,  under 
the  Gospel,  as  they  had  never  done  before ; 
and  as  this  state  of  mind  was  declared  to  be 
the  effect  of  Divine  influence,  and  thus  a  proof 
of  their  election  and  redemption ; — such  doc- 
trine might  well  please  them.  But,  at  this 
stage  of  their  experience,  the  Gospel  itself 
would  have  pleased  them  better,  if  it  had  been 


THE   HOPE   OF   SALVATION.  121 

as  plainly  brought  before  them  ;  because,  then, 
they  were  in  search  of  nothing  but  the  hope  of 
salvation,  and  wanted  no  rehef  from  the  rules, 
but  only  from  the  cursej  of  the  law.  Had 
they,  therefore,  been  directed,  at  that  moment, 
to  the  Divine  testimony  concerning  the  per- 
son and  work  of  Christ;  and  had  they  been 
shown  clearly,  from  the  Scriptures,  that  the 
cordial  belief  of  that  testimony  is  saving  faith ; 
and  that  faith  itself  warrants  immediate  hope ; 
this  would  have  met  all  their  difficulties,  with- 
out laying  asleep  their  watchfulness,  or  their 
fear  of  sin. 

Well:  you  see  all  this,  if  you  have  taken 
up  the  hope  of  salvation  at  the  Cross,  simply 
by  relying  on  Christ  for  it.  You  have,  there- 
fore, no  occasion  to  meddle  with  the  unscrip- 
tural  nostrums  of  those  who  put  the  work  of 
the  Spirit  in  the  room  of  the  work  of  Christ, 
and  give  that  place  to  election  which  the  Cross 
alone  occupies  in  the  Gospel.  You  have  no 
occasion  to  shift  the  position  of  things  in  the 
**  well-ordered"  Covenant,  before  you  can  enter 
into  the  ark  of  it.  *'Ye  have  not  so  learned 
Christ,"  from  these  pages,  as  to  feel  it  neces- 


122  THE    HOPE    OF   SALVATION. 

sary  to  have  another  warrant  than  the  Word  of 
God,  for  believing  on  Christ  for  your  own 
justification.  Whatever  comfort  you  want,  you 
can  find  it  more  readily  and  more  abundantly 
in  the  single  fact,  "  that  he  who  belie veth  hath 
eternal  life,"  than  in  all  the  boasted  consolations 
of  Antinomianism, — the  very  first  principle  of 
which  is  wrong,  inasmuch  as  it  substitutes  feel- 
ings for  faith.  And  whenever  you  want  to 
see  the  grand  fallacy  and  infamy  of  this  sys- 
tem, you  have  only  to  observe  that  the  very 
first  promise  of  that  new  Covenant,  which  it 
pretends  to  venerate  so  much,  is  at  utter  and 
eternal  variance  with  the  rejection  of  the  law 
as  a  rule  of  life.  That  first  promise  is,  **I 
will  put  7ny  laws  in  their  hearts,  and  write 
them  in  their  minds,  saith  the  Lord:''  a  fact 
which  is  fatal  to  all  unholy  applications  of  the 
doctrines  of  grace.  In  a  word,  real  Antino- 
mianism is  the  hope  of  a  salvation  from  that 
holy  salvation,  which  is  "the  end"  of  election, 
redemption,  and  regeneration. 


CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE. 

No.  VIII. 

DEVOTIONAL    SELF-EXAMINATION. 


No  man  knows  himself,  who  is  not  in  the 
habit  of  examining  himself;  and  no  man  ex- 
amines himself  impartially,  who  does  not  place 
himself  under  the  omniscient  eye  of  God,  and 
thus  invite  and  submit  to  divine  scrutiny.  Our 
hearts  are  too  deep  to  be  fathomed  by  our 
conscience,  and  too  deceitful  to  be  unmasked 
by  our  judgment.  Indeed,  the  heart  can  blind 
and  pervert  both  the  judgment  and  the  con- 
science. Hence  the  necessity  of  carrying  the 
whole  soul  to  be  searched  and  tried  by  God, 
even  after  all  our  efforts  to  examine  ourselves  : 
for,  until  we  are  alone  and  upon  our  knees 
before  the  Searcher  of  hearts,  we  are  both 
liable  and  sure  to   impose  on  ourselves.     We 


124      DEVOTIONAL    SELF-EXAMINATION. 

may,  indeed,  know,  from  observation  and  ex- 
perience, what  is  our  weak  side,  or  our  be- 
setting sin,  and  thus  have  a  general  idea  of 
our  real  character;  but  how  weak  that  side  is,  or 
how  strong  that  sin  is,  we  are  not  fully  aware, 
until  we  look  at  them  in  the  light  of  God. 
Accordingly,  we  have  found  them  to  be  greater, 
and  have  been  betrayed  by  them  oftener,  than 
we  suspected  at  first.  They  have  carried  us 
further  than  we  calculated  upon,  and  led  us 
into  more  wrong  steps  than  we  anticipated,  at 
first.  Yes;  and  both  our  weak  side  and  our 
besetting  sin,  if  left  to  themselves,  are  quite 
capable  of  hurrying  us  as  much  beyond  any 
evil  which  we  now  fear,  as  they  were  of  draw- 
ing us  into  those  evils  which  we  nov/  deplore. 
For,  what  our  hearts  are  thus  led  to  by  their 
own  propensities,  is  only  a  specimen  of  the  di- 
rection, rather  than  of  the  lengths,  they  are  in- 
clined to  go,  when  allowed  to  take  their  own 
way.  Now,  if  we  must  say  already,  that  our 
hearts  have  gone  too  far  astray  ;  and  if  we  be- 
lieve that  they  are  naturally  «*  deceitful  above 
all  things,  and  desperately  wicked;" — it  is  high 
time  to  take  measures  for    the  prevention  and 


DEVOTIONAL    SEI.F-EXAMINATION.       125 

cure  of  their  evil  tendencies.  And,  for  these 
purposes,  the  habit  of  self-examination  in  the 
sight  of  the  omniscient  God,  is  equally  neces- 
sary and  useful. 

David  furnishes  an  example  of  this  devo- 
tional habit,  which  will  illustrate  at  once  these 
introductory  hints.  He  was  an  attentive  ob- 
server and  scrutinizer  of  himself,  especially  after 
his  restoration  to  the  Divine  favour.  From 
that  time  his  '*soul"  was,  as  it  were,  "conti- 
nually in  his  hand;"  his  "spirit  made  diligent 
search;*'  he  "communed"  with  his  own  heart, 
even  "upon  his  bed,"  and  considered  his  ways. 
Now,  this  was  self-examination,  in  the  ordinary 
sense  of  the  duty ;  but  he  did  not  stop  there. 
He  knew  and  believed  the  deceitfulness  of  his 
heart  too  well,  to  trust  its  verdict  in  his  own 
cause;  and,  therefore,  followed  up  his  own 
scrutiny  by  praying,  "  Search,  me,  O  God,  and 
know  my  heart ;  try  me  and  know  my  thoughts ; 
and  see  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in  me,  and 
lead  me  in  the  way  everlasting."  Thus,  that 
there  might  be  no  deception,  he  solemnly  put 
his  case  into  the  hands,  and  under  the  eye,  of 
m2 


126      DEVOTIONAL   SELF-EXAMINATION. 

God.      This  was   impartial,  because  devotional, 
self-examination. 

Having  referred  to  this  example,  as  an  il- 
lustration of  the  subject,  it  may  be  well  to 
glance  at  the  principles  of  it.  Now,  the  prayer, 
*' Search  me  and  try  me,"  recognizes,  as  an  un- 
questionable truth,  the  omniscience  of  Jehovah, 
and  proceeds  upon  the  solemn  fact,  that  '*all 
things  are  naked  and  open  to  the  eyes  of  Him 
with  whom  they  have  to  do."  It  was,  how- 
ever, by  realizing  the  scrutiny  of  this  omnis- 
cience in  his  own  case,  that  David  understood 
how  it  extended  to  all  creatures,  times,  and 
places.  '*  Thou  hast  searched  and  known  me," 
— is  the  point  from  which  he  started,  in  his  way 
to  the  sublime  and  awful  conclusion,  "  The 
darkness  and  the  light  are  both  alike  to  Thee." 
And  the  conclusion  is  just;  for  if  David's  heart 
in  all  its  recesses,  were  naked  and  open  unto 
God,  all  hearts  and  all  things  must  be  equally 
visible  to  Him ;  because  the  power  which  can 
search  one,  can  search  all;  and  the  reason  for 
searching  any  heart,  holds  good  in  the  case  of 
all  hearts.     God  is  the  Judge  of  all ;  and,  as  the 


DEVOTIONAL   SELF-EXAMINATION.       127 

secrets  of  every  heart  will  be  brought  into  judg- 
ment, none  can  escape  his  notice.  Each  may, 
therefore,  say  to  himself,  *'  Lord,  thou  hast 
searched  and  known  me;"  others  may  guess 
v/hat  I  am,  from  what  1  seem  ;  and  argue  from 
what  my  life  is,  what  my  heart  must  be  :  "  but  lo, 
0  Lord,  thou  knowest  it  altogether ;''  thou  art  not 
deceived,  nor  at  any  loss,  whoever  may  be  so  ! 

Now,  with  this  solemn  conviction  clinging  to 
him  like  his  shadow — why  did  David  pray  thus, 
"  Search  me,  0  God,  and  know  my  heart ;  try 
me,  and  know  my  thoughts  .>"  He  had  just 
acknowledged  that  God  had  done  so  already, 
and  fully  ;  for  he  does  not  say.  Search  me  more 
than  thou  hast  ever  done.  The  reason  is  obvi- 
ous :  God  searches  all ;  but  he  does  not  lead 
all  **  in  the  way  everlasting."  Some  are  given 
up  to  their  own  hearts'  lusts,  and  thus  led  cap- 
tive by  the  devil,  at  his  will,  when  they  refuse  to 
be  led  by  the  Spirit.  David  knew  this :  and,  as 
his  object  was  to  walk  in  the  way  of  salvation, 
his  prayer  was,  that  he  might  be  so  searched  as 
to  escape  every  "  wicked  way."  And  there  is 
a  special  and  gracious  searching  of  the  heart,  the 
results  of  which  God  shows  to  them   who  fear 


128      DEVOTIONAL    SELF-EXAMINATION. 

Him  ;  thus  discovering  to  them,  what  he  dis- 
covers in  them.  Not,  indeed,  that  He  shows 
them  at  once  all  that  He  sees  in  them  :  the  most 
holy  could  not  sustain  the  full  sight  of  all  the 
plagues  of  their  own  hearts.  God,  therefore, 
reveals  them  gradually  to  his  people,  that  the 
appaUing  sight  may  not  overwhelm  their  hopes 
of  sanctification.  He  does,  however,  show  so 
much,  from  time  to  time,  as  to  convince  be- 
lievers that  their  own  hearts  are  not  to  be  trusted, 
even  to  their  own  examination ;  but  require,  in 
order  to  be  upright  in  all  things,  to  be  searched 
by  the  eye  of  Omniscience. 

Now,  it  is  a  good  sign,  when  we  are  afraid  of 
self-deception,  and  court  the  scrutiny  of  God ; 
when  we  are  willing  to  know  the  worst  of  our 
own  case,  and  desirous  to  judge  impartially; 
and  when,  for  this  purpose,  we  call  in  the  eye 
of  God  to  search  us.  For,  by  thus  examining 
ourselves,  and  submitting  to  Divine  examina- 
tion, Believers  are  distinguished. 

First,  From  the  Formalist,  who  takes  no 
notice  of  the  state  of  his  heart  in  religion.  It 
is,  indeed,  strange  that  any  can  be  so  infatuated, 
as  to  forget  the  necessity  of  worshipping  a  Spirit, 


DEVOTIONAL    SELF-EXAMINATION.       129 

"  in  spirit  and  in  truth  :"  but,  alas  !  it  is  for- 
gotten and  overlooked.  Many,  like  the  Jews 
of  old,  go  to  the  sanctuary  of  God,  and  *'  sit  as 
his  people  sit,  and  hear  as  they  hear ;  but  their 
hearts  are  far  from  him.'*  This  is  no  sweeping 
charge  :  for,  if  their  hearts  were  **  right  with 
God,"  they  would  worship  him  at  home  as  well 
as  in  the  sanctuary ;  and  in  the  sanctuary  by 
sacraments,  as  well  as  by  prayer  or  praise.  But 
how  (ew  compass  the  family  or  the  sacramental 
altar,  or  retire  to  pray  in  secret  to  Him  who  seeth 
in  secret !  All  this  may,  indeed,  be  done,  by 
mere  formalists;  but,  when  all  this  is  neglected, 
there  certainly  is  none  of  the  "  power"  of  god- 
liness, nor  any  habit  of  self-examination.  It  is 
therefore,  a  good  sign,  when  the  claims  of  all 
duties  are  seriously  weighed,  and  the  state  of  the 
heart  towards  and  in  them  is  chiefly  regarded. 
This  distinguishes  Believers, 

Secondly,  From  the  Reckless  Professor, 
who  dare  not  search  his  own  heart.  Some  have 
the  hardihood  to  continue  at  the  sacrament,  even 
after  they  have  discovered  that  their  convictions 
were  not  conversion,  nor  their  first  resolutions, 
principles.     They  depart  from  their  closets  and 


130     DEVOTIONAL   SELF-EXAMINATION. 

give  up  the  power  of  godliness ;  but  there  is  no 
departure  from  the  Lord's  table.  Conscience 
says  to  them,  "  Keep  back,  or  begin  on  new 
principles;"  and  thus,  like  Balaam's  angel, 
waves  a  drawn  sword  between  them  and  a  sacra- 
ment for  which  they  have  no  relish.  But  Pride 
says,  "  Keep  your  place  and  your  name;  defeat 
suspicion,  by  defying  it ;  keep  up  appearances, 
whatever  it  cost,  for  it  is  too  mortifying  to  ex- 
pose yourself  by  your  own  act  of  withdrawing  !'* 
Now,  in  such  a  case,  the  heart  dare  not  examine 
itself  before  God,  but  is  afraid  of  its  own  whis- 
pers, and  conscious  that  a  full  disclosure  of  its 
secrets,  even  to  itself,  would  be  almost  as  humi- 
liating as  the  exposure  of  them  to  others.  Thus, 
the  matter  will  not  bear  thinking  of,  and  there- 
fore appearances  are  kept  up  at  all  hazards,  by 
shutting  the  eyes  upon  the  hazards. 

This  fearful  state  of  mind  must  not,  however, 
be  confounded  with  those  occasional  misgivings 
of  heart,  which  the  serious  feel  in  regard  to  the 
reality  of  their  own  conversion,  and  their  right 
to  the  sacrament.  There  is  an  immense  differ- 
ence between  habitual  recklessness,  and  occasi- 
onal disrelish ;  especially  when  the  want  of  relish 


DEVOTIONAL  SELF-EXAMINATION.      131 

is  deeply  deplored,  and  the  causes  of  it  are 
searched  out.  All  is  not  wrong,  while  self-exa- 
mination is  kept  up,  and  while  what  is  wrong  is 
dreaded  and  hated.  Like  an  erring,  but  affec- 
tionate child,  a  believer  may  feel  himself  in  dis- 
grace ;  but,  while  he  feels  out  of  his  element, 
and  is  trying  to  return  into  his  rest,  his  case  is  not 
hopelf'ss,  because  it  is  not  heartless  nor  heedless. 
In  like  manner,  the  habit  of  self-examination  in 
the  presence  of  God  distinguishes  its  adherents. 

Thirdly,  From  the  Inconsistent  Professor, 
who  is  unwiUing  to  be  led  out  of  every  '*  wicked 
way."  David  prayed  thus — **  See  if  there  be  any 
wicked  way  in  me,  and  lead  me  in  the  way  ever- 
lasting." Thus  he  was  so  jealous  of  his  heart, 
that  he  suspected  that  some  wicked  way  would  be 
overlooked,  unless  God  prevented  it.  Now,  this 
is  the  grand  characteristic  of  "  faith  unfeigned  :" 
it  is  impartial,  and  willing  to  be  kept  back  from 
all  sin.  A  real  Christian  may,  indeed,  feel  a 
strong  bias  to  some  of  his  old  sins,  and  a  shrink- 
ing from  some  duties ;  and,  alas  !  for  a  time,  he 
may  even  risk  the  experiment  of  serving  "  two 
masters"  by  turns ;  but  when  he  finds, — which 
he  soon  does  by  bitter   experience, —that  half 


132     DEVOTIONAL    SELF-EXAMINATION. 

measures  will  not  do,  and  that  a  divided  heart 
misses  enjoyment  in  religion,  and  that  yielding 
to  temptation  or  sloth  is  destruction  to  hope  and 
peace, — he  is  glad  to  retrace  his  steps  to  the  nar- 
row way  again,  and  to  yield  himself  unreservedly 
to  God  and  duty.  Now,  although  this  is  not  done 
without  a  struggle,  nor  always  soon, —  it  is  done, 
eventually,  by  all  who  are  attentive  to  their  own 
hearts,  and  to  the  baneful  influence  of  inconsis- 
tencies upon  them.  The  self-examining  believer 
determines  to  be  consistent,  whatever  it  cost  in 
effort  or  sacrifice.  He  would  rather  suffer,  than 
sin  against  God  and  a  good  conscience.  Now, 
this  high  and  holy  tone  of  gracious  principle  and 
godly  practice,  is  acquired  chiefly  by  scrutinizing 
the  heart  in  the  presence  of  God.  It  is  not  ac- 
quired from  the  social  intercourse  of  Christian 
friends,  nor  even  from  heart-searching  sermons : 
these,  indeed,  suggest  the  necessity  of  self-exa- 
mination, and  are  the  chief  means  of  leading  to 
it;  but  it  is  in  the  act  of  devotional  examination, 
that  God  shows  with  "power"  what  is  wrong, 
and  with  "glory"  what  is  right.  Accordingly, 
it  was  in  the  closet,  and  whilst  retired  within 
ourselves,  and  whilst  realizing  the  presence  of 


DEVOTIONAL   SELF-EXAMINATION.      133 

God,  and  whilst  looking  at  all  sin  in  the  light  of 
eternity,— it  was  whilst  thus  engaged,  that  every 
sin,  fault,  and  wrong  habit,  rose  before  us  in 
hideous  and  horrid  deformity !  Then  we  wept, 
and  wondered  that  we  ever  thought  lightly  of 
"  any  wicked  way ;"  and  felt  our  souls  swelling 
up  in  holy  indignation  against  all  vice  and  vanity. 
Apd,  by  the  same  process,  we  acquired  those 
clear  and  affecting  views  of  the  way  of  holiness, 
which  won  us  into  it.  Whilst  we  looked  at ''  the 
narrow  way,"  in  the  company  of  those  who  shun 
it,  or  in  the  light  of  worldly  maxims,  we  thought 
it  too  narrow,  and  saw  many  lions  in  the  way, 
and  felt  as  if  it  were  impossible  to  walk  in  it : 
but  when  we  retired  to  our  closets,  and  betook 
ourselves  to  prayer,  that  we  might  examine  and 
weigh  these  mingled  feelings  and  objections, 
which  looked  so  formidable  in  company, — the 
path  of  holiness  expanded  before  us  as  it  really 
is — guarded  by  eternal  Providence,  gilded  with 
great  and  precious  promises,  graced  by  the  pre- 
sence of  many  illustrious  pilgrims,  glorious  with 
the  footsteps  of  the  Saviour  himself,  and  termi- 
nating directly  in  the  heaven  of  heavens.  We 
saw,  also,  that  none  sank  on  *'  the  way  everlast- 

N 


134     DEVOTIONAL   SELF-EXAMINATION. 

ing,"  nor  perished  at  the  end  of  it,  who  kept  in 
it;  and  that  those  were  happiest  who  adhered  to 
it  most  strictly;  and  that  all  were  ruined  who 
forsook  it;  and,  between  this  twofold  "  cloud 
of  witnesses,*'  we  resolved  to  follow  holiness. 
Thus  we  have  often  come  from  our  closets,  say- 
ing to  ourselves,  '*  Let  whoever  will,  try  danger- 
ous experiments,  the  example  of  the  Saviour 
shall  be  our  guiding  pillar  of  cloud  by  day,  and 
of  fire  by  night: — our  hearts  are  "fixed"  by 
searching,  and  we  will  *'  follow  the  Lamb  in  the 
path  of  regeneration." 

It  is  thus  that  the  habit  of  devotional  self-exa- 
mination sets  and  keeps  both  sin  and  duty  in 
their  true  light.-  It  is,  however,  wanted  for  other 
purposes.  Accordingly,  God  says,  "  Examine 
yourselves,  whether  ye  be  in  the  faith;  prove 
your  ownselves;  know  ye  not  your  ownselves, 
how  that  Christ  is  in  you,  except  ye  be  repro- 
bates;" that  is,  without  proof  of  the  Saviour's 
presence.  The  word  "  Reprobates"  is  not 
used  here  in  the  modern  sense.  It  means 
now,  in  common  language,  *'  reckless  profli- 
gates," or  *'  abandoned  sinners ;"  and  is  sus- 
pected by  some,  who  judge  the  sense  from  the 
sound  of  it,  to  countenance  the  doctrine  of  Rc" 


DEVOTIONAL    SELF-EXAMINATION.      135 

probatioUf  as  they  call  it.  They  mean  by  that, 
the  ruin  and  loss  of  the  soul  by  the  sovereign 
decree  of  God ; — a  doctrine  not  even  breathed  in 
the  Bible.  What  it  teaches,  is,  the  judicial  re- 
probation of  those  who  weary  out  the  patience  of 
God  by  impenitence  and  rebellion.  Such  he  aban- 
dons eventually  to  a  reprobate  mind,  and  to  a 
seared  conscience,  and  to  their  own  hearts'  lusts; 
and  thus  to  ruin.  But  the  ruin  comes  not  from 
a  sovereign  decree,  but  from  the  sentence  of  the 
law  and  the  sanctions  of  the  Gospel.  This  is 
the  real  state  of  the  case ;  and  therefore  a  man 
is  not  a  reprobate,  in  this  sense,  even  if  he  is 
not  in  the  faith,  yet,  and  although  Christ  is  not 
in  him.  I  mean,  that  he  is  not,  on  that  account 
decreed  to  ruin,  nor  given  up  by  God.  All  unbe- 
lievers are,  indeed,  condemned  already ;  but  it  is 
because  of  unbelief,  and  not  beyond  redemption. 
This  being  understood,  the  most  timid  have  no 
occasion  to  shrink  from  examining  themselves 
by  the  test  applied  to  the  Corinthians ;  for  even 
if  you  should  not  be  able  to  prove,  to  your  own 
satisfaction,  that  you  are  in  the  faith,  nor  that 
Christ  is  in  you — still,  whilst  Christ  is  upon  the 
throne  of  grace,  and  whilst  faith  is  the  gift  of 


136     DEVOTIONAL   SELF-EXAMINATION. 

God,  your  case  is  not  hopeless.  This,  however, 
is  but  the  lowest  view  of  the  case.  Those  who 
are  in  real  earnest  to  be  found  in  Christ,  are  not 
utter  strangers  either  to  the  exercise  of  faith  or 
to  the  indwelling  of  Christ  in  the  heart.  They 
may  be  afraid  to  call  their  own  believing  faith; 
and  may  not  understand  the  precise  meaning 
of  Christ's  indwelling  presence  :  but  it  does  not 
follow,  from  these  mistakes,  that  they  are  without 
proofs  of  faith  or  love.  They  have  often  more 
proofs  of  both  than  they  imagine,  or  are  aware 
of,  until  they  examine  themselves. — Now,  so 
may  you.  The  first  sight  of  the  question,  "  Am 
I  in  the  faith  ?"  may  startle  you;  because,  know- 
ing faith  to  be  the  point  on  which  salvation  turns, 
and  feeling  your  own  unworthiness  of  so  great 
a  salvation,  you  are  afraid  to  say  '*  Yes.'"  But, 
observe:  you  are  equally  afraid  to  say  *' JVb.'* 
You  leave  the  question  unanswered  in  words; 
but  you  continue  to  act  as  if  you  were  "  in  the 
faith."  You  do  not  cease  to  hope,  even  when 
you  hesitate  to  say  that  you  believe.  You  even 
strive  to  live  as  a  believer,  although  you  do  not 
venture  to  assume  the  name.  Yea,  more :  no 
one  could  persuade  you  to  give  up  your  habits  of 


DEVOTIONAL   SELF-EXAMINATION.      137 

looking  to,  and  leaning  upon,  the  Saviour.  You 
shrink  with  horror  from  the  bare  idea  of  disown- 
ing or  deserting  him.  You  have  no  wish  to  for- 
sake him ;  and  when  you  feel  tempted  to  do  so, 
your  unfeigned  answer  is,  "  Lord,  to  whom  shall 
I  go?  Thou  only  hast  the  words  of  eternal  life." 
Accordingly,  since  you  saw  your  need  of  an  in- 
terest; in  his  blood,  and  felt  the  value  of  salvation, 
you  have  been  unwilling  and  unable  to  forget 
Christ.  Thoughts  of  him,  and  desires  after  him, 
have  followed  you  like  your  shadow,  more  or  less, 
every  day ;  and  nothing  would  please  you  more 
than  to  be  able  to  think  and  feel  in  regard  to  him, 
as  you  wish. 

Well ;  this  being  the  case,  you  cannot  begin 
too  soon  to  **  examine"  whether  you  **  be  in  the 
faith ;"  for  the  result  is  sure  to  be  favourable. 
Yes ;  examination  in  the  sight  of  God  will  dis- 
cover to  you,  that  it  has  been  given  to  you,  on 
behalf  of  Christ,  to  believe  on  him  with  the 
heart  unto  salvation.  But  nothing  else  will  dis- 
cover this,  Co  your  permanent  satisfaction.  You 
may  gather,  from  these  marks  of  faith,  a  general 
idea  that  you  are  in  the  faith  ;  but  the  conclu- 
sion, even  if  just,  will  not  last  long.  It  must  be 
N  2 


138     DEVOTIONAL    SELF-EXAMINATION. 

drawn  upon  your  knees,  and  with  your  heart 
bared  to  the  inspection  of  God,  if  you  would 
have  it  lasting.  And,  in  his  presence,  as  in  the 
prospect  of  death,  the  question,  "  Am  T  in  the 
faith?'*  is  fairly  met.  The  soul  dare  not  trifle 
nor  equivocate,  when  placed  under  the  eye  of 
Omniscience ;  but  must  go  fully  into  the  inquiry. 
It  spreads  and  pours  itself  out,  all  over  the  ques- 
tion. And  when,  in  this  light,  it  is  seen  that  the 
cordial  belief  of  the  Gospel,  for  holy  purposes, 
is  saving  faith ;  and  when  it  is  felt,  through  all 
the  soul,  that  we  do  believe  its  truth,  and  love  its 
holiness  ; — our  satisfaction  is  unspeakable  !  For 
then,  we  know  and  feel  persuaded  that  we  are 
not  flattering  ourselves,  nor  judging  rashly.  The 
whole  matter  is  so  fully  laid  before  God,  and  God 
is  so  fully  before  our  minds,  that  self-deception 
seems  impossible.  We  have  *'  the  witness"  in 
ourselves,  that,  like  the  first  believers,  we  ''  gladly 
receive"  the  Gospel.  We  are,  indeed,  amazed, 
and  thrown  into  almost  breathless  silence,  during 
these  hallowed  moments,  to  find  that  believing  is 
faith,  and  that  faith  itself  warrants  the  hope  of 
salvation  there  and  then.  But  we  do  find  all 
this  to  be  true !     All  our  recollections,  both  of 


DEVOTIONAL   SELF-EXAMINATION.      139 

the  letter  and  spirit  of  the  Scriptures,  rush  in  to 
confirm  it.  The  whole  Bible  rises  before  us  as 
one  brilliant  and  unbroken  illustration  of  the 
grand  fact — that  salvation  *«  is  of  faith,  that  it 
might  be  by  grace."  And,  having  seen  all  this 
in  the  light  of  the  Divine  presence,  we  retire 
from  our  closets  with  the  old  apostolic  melody  in 
our  hearts  and  lips,  "  Therefore^  being  justified 
by  faith,  we  have  peace  with  God^ 


CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE. 

No.  IX. 

THE  TEMPTATIONS  AND  FIERY  DARTS  OF  SATAN. 


Amongst  those  words  with  which  the  truly 
serious  associate  the  most  awful  and  alarming 
ideas,  the  word  Temptation  is  one  of  the 
chief.  And  well  it  may  make  every  ear  tingle, 
and  every  heart  tremble !  Temptation  is,  indeed, 
thought  of,  and  spoken  of,  lightly,  by  the  bulk 
of  mankind :  but  this  is  no  proof  that  they  who 
do  so  are  superior  to  it,  or  that  they  resist  it.  * 
Many  strong  men, — yea,  many  mighty  men — 
have  fallen  by  it.  Men!  yea,  angels,  have 
been  overthrown  by  it  in  the  very  heaven  of  hea- 
vens. Even  their  immortal  powers  and  celestial 
advantages  were  not  a  sufficient  balance  to  the 
weight  of  temptation.  Like  a  serpent,  it  wound 
itself  around  the  pillars  of  their  thrones  of  light, 


FIERY   DARTS   OF   SATAN.  141 

coiled  its  folds  upon  their  harps  of  gold,  crept 
into  their  bosom ;  and  having  thus  drawn  aside 
a  third  part  of  the  stars  of  heaven,  it  hurled 
them,  at  one  sweep,  into  "  the  blackness  of  dark- 
ness for  ever."  The  man,  therefore,  who  thinks 
so  lightly  of  temptation  as  not  to  be  afraid  of  it, 
ought  to  place  himself,  in  idea,  amongst  these 
once  "  morning  stars,"  whilst  they  shone  around 
the  eternal  throne  as  emanations  of  the  Father 
of  lights,  and  served  him  day  and  night  without 
weariness:  and  whilst  witnessing  them  singing 
and  shining  in  their  bright  orbits,  and  all  linked 
unto  God  as  if  they  had  been  rays  of  his  glory ; 
he  would  then  see  and  feel  what  strength,  what 
motives,  what  innocence,  temptation  could  over- 
match and  overwhelm.  And  then,  let  him  look 
to  the  dark  and  desolate  orbits  of  those  fallen 
morning  stars ;  to  their  present  chains  of  dark- 
ness, and  to  their  future  prospects ; — and  if,  after 
this  survey  of  heaven  and  hell,  he  is  still  not  afraid 
of  temptation,  he  must  surely  suspect  that  he  is 
less  than  a  man,  or  fancy  himself  to  be  more  than 
an  angel. 

All  this,  however,  although  the  strongest,  is 
not  the  most  affecting,  light  in   which  to  view 


142  THE    TEMPTATIONS    AND 

our  own  clanger  from  temptation.  Which  of 
the  mightiest  human  names  has  not  temptation 
left  a  stain  and  a  stigma  upon  ?  Noah  ? — Ah, 
you  recollect  his  wine.  Abraham  ? — His  equi- 
vocation. Moses  ? — His  impatience.  Aaron  ? 
— His  unbelief.  Jacob? — His  stratagem.  The 
Patriarchs.? — Their  treatment  of  Joseph.  Eli- 
jah?—His  murmuring.  David  ?_His  fall.  Heze- 
kiah?— His  ostentation.  Jonah  ?_His  rebellion. 
Peter? — His  denial  of  Christ.  And  if  these 
mighty  men  fell,  let  him  that  standeth  take  heed 
lest  he  fall  also.  Let  not  him  that  putteth  on  the 
harness,  boast  himself  as  he  who  putteth  it  off. 
We  shall  not  be  fully  beyond  the  reach  of  all 
danger,  until  we  are  fairly  through  the  valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death  ;  for  even  in  it,  the 
fiery  darts  of  Satan  sometimes  fly  thick  and  flash 
dreadfully.  Only  when  we  are  "clean  over"  the 
swellings  of  Jordan,  will  there  be  *'  nothing"  in 
us  for  Satan  to  work  upon. 

Were,  indeed,  simplicity  of  heart,  and  gra- 
cious principles,  preventatives,  or  absolute  safe- 
guards, against  all  temptations,  some  might  es- 
cape ;  but  even  innocence^  in  Eden,  was  not  an 
eff"ectual  shield  against  the  fiery  darts  of  Satan. 


FIERY   DARTS    OF    SATAN.  143 

Innocence !  even  incarnate  divinity^  was  not 
exempt  from  assault,  though  superior  to  seduc- 
tion ;  for  the  Saviour  was  assailed  and  harassed 
by  Satan,  until  his  human  nature  required  angels 
to  minister  unto  its  exhausted  strength. 

Some  who  readily  subscribe  to  the  truth  of  all 
this,  do  it  for  a  bad  purpose,  and  argue  thus : 
— "  Jf  such  men  fell,  we  cannot  be  expected  to 
stand  always,  nor  to  exceed  them  in  resisting  the 
devil."  But  this  is  mere  sophistry  and  self- 
deception  ;  for  those  who  fell,  fell  by  no  neces- 
sity but  what  they  themselves  created.  Satan 
has  power  to  say,  "Cast  thyself  down !"  but  he 
has  not  power  to  throw  down  any  one  who  is 
doing  "all  to  stand."  Had  Noah  been  as  watch- 
ful after  planting  a  vineyard,  as  before,  he  would 
not  have  fallen  by  wine.  Had  David  made  and 
kept  such  "a  covenant  with  his  eyes"  as  Job 
did,  he  would  not  have  coveted  his  "  neighbour's 
wife."  Had  Peter  confined  himself  to  the  com- 
pany of  his  fellow-disciples,  he  would  not  have 
been  in  the  same  danger  of  denying  his  Master 
with  oaths,  as  when  he  mingled  with  the  ene- 
mies of  Christ,  Besides,  one  chief  cause  of  the 
fall   of  these,   otherwise,  good   men,  was,  that 


144  THE    TEMPTATIONS    AND 

they  evidently  never  allowed  themselves  to  sus- 
pect that  they  were  in  danger  of  falling  by  such 
temptations.  It  is  highly  probable,  that  had  any 
one  warned  them  against  the  sins  which  over- 
came them,  each  of  them  would  have  said,  "  Is 
thy  servant  a  dog,  that  he  should  do  this  thing  ?" 
Thus,  there  are  two  things  necessary,  in  order 
to  resist  temptation  successfully  ; —  doing  all  to 
stand,  and  being  afraid  of  falling  ;  for  if  we  are 
not  afraid  of  falling,  we  shall  not  take  unto  our- 
selves "  the  whole  armour  of  God,"  that  we  may 
be  "able  to  stand." 

Amongst  those  temptations  of  Satan  to  which 
we  are  chiefly  exposed,  and  which  are  emphati- 
cally his,  "fiery  darts,"  one  is,  the  temptation  to 
Atheism  or  Infidelity.  Now,  whenever  the 
horrid  suspicion  that  there  is  *'  no  God,"  or  that 
the  Bible  is  not  to  be  depended  on,  comes  in 
like  a  flood  upon  the  mind,  it  is  a  fiery  dart  of 
Satan ;  and  he  alone  has  the  guilt  of  it,  whilst 
the  mind  hates  or  deplores  it.  Unless,  indeed, 
we  have  been  exposing  ourselves  by  reading 
sceptical  boo.ks,  and  listening  to  scorners ;  then, 
the  guilt  of  infidel  thoughts  is  chiefly  our  own. 
But  when  they  are  thrown  into  the  soul  unsought 


FIERY    DARTS    OF   SATAN.  145 

and  unawares,  and  thrown  after  the  soul  when 
it  is  retreating  from  them, — the  archer^  and  not 
the  "  wounded  spirit,"  is  the  criminal,  in  that 
case.  We  are  personally  accountable  only  for 
those  temptations  which  we  court,  connive  at,  or 
yield  to.  The  Saviour  was  tempted  of  the  devil 
to  impatience,  presumption,  and  idolatry  ;  ])ut 
as  he  had  not  exposed  himself  to  these  fiery 
darts,  and  did  not  yield  to  them,  but  repelled 
them,  he  was  nowise  accountable  for  them. 

This  distinction  is  strongly  stated  ;  but  it  is 
wanted,  in  all  its  strength,  when  the  mind  is 
overwhelmed  by  distracting  doubts  of  the  being 
of  God  or  the  truth  of  revelation.  In  that  case, 
it  seems  to  ourselves  improbable,  if  not  impos- 
sible, that  we  had  ever  believed  *'  with  the 
heart;"  seeing,  that  now,  we  are  almost  ready 
to  give  up  faith  in  God,  and  to  regard  all  things 
as  a  chaos  of  mere  chance  !  We  argue  thus  : 
**  Surely,  if  I  had  been  taught  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  and  at  all  renewed  in  the  spirit  of  ray  own 
mind,  I  should  be  incapable  of  harbouring  or 
starting  such  atheistical  thoughts.  They  would 
not  surely  come  into  '  a  new  heart.'  Are  they 
not  symptoms  of  a  reprobate  mind  ?"  This 
o 


146  THE    TEMPTATIONS   AND 

however,  is  a  mistake;  they  are  «'  the  fiery  darts" 
of  Satan,  and  not  the  real  sentiments  of  our  own 
minds.  Accordingly,  we  do  not  think  these  doubts 
well-founded.  We  do  not  wish  them  to  be  true. 
Nothing  would  pain  us  so  much  as  finding  that 
there  was  no  God,  or  no  Bible,  or  no  hereafter  ! 
However  much,  therefore,  we  may  be  harassed 
by  these  dark  suspicions,  they  are  not  our  sin, 
but  our  misfortune,  so  long  as  we  shrink  from 
them,  and  try  to  shake  them  off.  At  the  same 
time,  we  are  not  altogether  blameless  in  this  mat- 
ter ;  for,  had  we  acquainted  and  familiarized  our- 
selves more  fully  with  the  Evidences  of  natural 
and  revealed  religion,  Satan  would  not  have  found 
it  so  easy  to  unsettle  our  thoughts.  Hence  the  im- 
portance of  preventing  the  return  of  this  tempta- 
tion, by  acquiring  a  more  full  and  connected  view 
of  the  grounds  of  faith. 

Another  '«  fiery  dart"  of  Satan's  is,  the  tempta- 
tion to  Blasphemy.  Now,  although  every  thing 
is  not  blasphemy,  which  is  called  so  by  custom, 
we  are  not  wrong  in  regarding,  as  blasphemous, 
all  those  thoughts  which  impeach  the  character  or 
the  government  of  God.  There  are  things  in  both 
which  clash  with  our  natural  ideas  of  propriety ; 


FIERY   DARTS    OF    SATAN.  147 

and,  when  they  clash  with  our  inclinations  too, 
Satan  can  so  magnify  what  we  dislike  in  the 
Divine  character  and  government,  that  we  are  in 
great  danger  of  thinking  and  speaking  against 
God.  "  I  do  well  to  be  angry,"  said  Jonah, 
when  God  caused  his  gourd  to  wither.  "  Verily 
I  have  cleansed  my  heart  in  vain,"  said  Asaph, 
wheii  he  saw  that  the  **  ungodly"  prospered  in 
the  world,  and  that  he  himself  was  "  chastened 
every  morning."  Now  all  these  things  happen 
still,  and  Satan  turns  them  into  strong  tempta- 
tions when  they  happen  to  ourselves.  The  gourds 
of  our  shelter  and  solace  wither  sometimes  in  a 
night,  and  we  are  left  exposed  and  lonely,  whilst 
the  gourds  of  the  ungodly  are  almost  evergreens  : 
or  our  plans  and  undertakings  are  unsuccessful, 
whilst  those  who  have  no  fear  of  God  before  their 
eyes,  seem  to  have  every  thing  their  own  way, 
and  sometimes  more  than  heart  could  wish.  Thus, 
between  the  apparent  inequalities  of  Providence 
and  our  own  actual  sufferings,  we  are  tempted  to 
murmur,  and,  at  times  almost  to  arraign  the  jus- 
tice of  God.  Indeed,  there  are  moments  of  such 
agitation,  when  Satan  aggravates  these  calamities, 
that  the  heart  seems  to  harden  under  them,  and 


148  THE   TEMPTATIONS   AND 

the  soul  to  become  reckless  of  consequences. 
Who  has  not  felt  that  fiery  dart  flash  across  a 
wounded  spirit — «'  Let  God  do  his  worst,  for  I 
cannot  be  more  miserable  than  I  am  already  ?** 
These  are  awful  moments,  when  the  soul  is  al- 
most ready  to  take  its  swing  amongst  all  the  risks 
of  time  and  eternity,  and,  like  the  "  unjust  judge," 
to  give  up  both  the  fear  of  God  and  regard  for 
man  !  Oh  !  it  is  well  that,  when  Satan  comes  in 
such  **  great  wrath,"  his  time  is  short:  and  it  is 
better^  that  the  good  Shepherd  holds  his  tempted 
and  terrified  sheep  so,  that  the  roaring  lion  can- 
not devour  them,  nor  pluck  them  out  of  their 
Shepherd's  hand. 

At  such  moments,  indeed,  we  hardly  venture 
to  regard  ourselves  as  the  sheep  of  Christ :  we 
seem  to  ourselves  goats,  going  to  his  *'  left  hand," 
of  our  own  accord,  and  "  before  our  time."  Ac- 
cordingly, it  is  not  until  we  come  to  our  "  right 
mind"  again,  that  we  can  even  join  his  flock  in 
the  green  pastures  of  Zion.  "  But,"  it  may  be 
said,  **  can  any  sheep  or  lamb  of  the  Saviour's 
flock  sink  into  such  reckless  desperation  even  for 
*  a  moment  V^  Perhaps,  not  sink  into  it;  but  they 
may  be  goaded  into  it  by  the  fiery  darts  of  Satan. 


FIERY    DARTS    OF   SATAN.  149 

Indeed,  when  the  character  of  God  comes  to  be 
judged  of  by  his  trying  dispensations,  instead  of 
his  dispensations  being  judged  of  by  his  character, 
Satan  finds  that,  in  the  heart,  to  work  upon,  which 
can  soon  wind  it  up  to  desperation.  Those  who 
have  never  seen  nriuch  of  real  life,  or  never  looked 
at  it  closely,  may  be  astonished  at  this.  It  is, 
however,  only  too  true  :  and  hence  the  necessity 
of  a  settled  conviction  in  our  minds,  that  God 
must  not  be  judged  of  by  our  trials.  Job  saw 
and  felt  this,  when  he  said,  "  Though  he  slay 
me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  him."  And  we  have  al- 
ways reason  to  do  so,  whatever  be  our  calamities; 
for,  even  when  he  chastises  in  anger,  the  anger 
is  not  mixed  with  hatred,  but  with  love.  When- 
ever, therefore,  Satan  suggests,  from  our  afflic- 
tions, any  reflection  or  charge  against  the  Divine 
character,  we  ought  immediately  to  shut  our  hearts 
against  it ;  and,  as  those  who  are  conscious  of  lov- 
ing God,  to  answer,  *'  Get  thee  behind  me,  Sa- 
tan; for  all  thinsfs  work  together  for  good  to  them 

'  o  o  o 

that  love  God !" 

It  is  not,  however,  in  times  of  calamity  only, 
that  Satan  hurls  his  fiery  darts  against  the  soul. 
The   temptation  to  find  fault  with   the  Sove- 
o  2 


150  THE   TEMPTATIONS   AND 

REIGNTY  of  Grace,  is  often  greatest  when  Pro- 
vidence is  most  smiling ;  at  least,  when  it  is  not 
adverse.    Satan  seems,  then,  to  envy  the  pleasure 
which  the  fearers  of  God  find  in  the  ways  of  God; 
and,  as  he  cannot  forge  fiery  darts  out  of  their  lot 
then,  he  often  draws  them  from  the  decrees  of  God. 
How  far  we  ourselves  are  naturally  prone  to  pry 
into  "  secret  things,"  and  to  tamper  with  the 
abstract  question  of  personal  election,  I  do  not 
stop  to  inquire  now.     One  thing  is  certain,  that, 
whether  prone  or  averse,  almost  all  serious  minds 
get  entangled  more  or  less  with  the  question  at 
times.    Who  has  not  felt  his  thoughts  drawn  into 
some  such  track  as  the  following : — "  True ;  I 
am  now  more  reconciled  to  the  salvation  and  ser- 
vice of  God  than  I  once  was  ;  I  am  even  willing 
to  walk  in  the  narrow  way  which  leadeth  unto 
life  ; — but  eternal  life  '  is  not  of  him  that  willeth, 
nor  of  him  that  runneth,  but  of  God  that  sheweth 
mercy;  and  He  will  have  mercy  only  upon  whom 
he  will  have  mercy.'      If,  therefore,   I  am  not 
elected — neither  my  willing  nor  my  running  can 
avail  me.     I  may  be  lost  at  last,  whatever  I  do  ! 
Oh !  why  is  sovereignty  the  rule  of  mercy  ?" 
Whenever  Satan  can  get  the  soul  this  length 


FIERY    DARTS    OF    SATAN.  151 

in  questioning  or  suspecting  the  good  will  of  God, 
he  soon  entangles  it  in  a  labyrinth  of  rash  or  dark 
speculations  which  harden  or  horrify  the  mind. 
I  state  this  in  general  terms,  because  it  would  be 
improper  to  embody,  in  express  words,  all  the 
dreadful  surmises  and  charges  against  God,  which 
rise  up  in  the  mind  at  such  times.  Those  who 
have  felt  them  need  no  remembrancer,  and  those 
who  are  strangers  to  them  cannot  be  too  long  ig- 
norant of  them.  When,  however,  the  question 
of  personal  election  is  borne  in,  and  bound  upon, 
the  soul  like  a  heavy  chain,  which  checks  and 
weighs  down  hope ;  and  when  "  the  iron  enters 
into  the  soul,"  so  that  it  knows  not  what  to  do 
or  what  to  think; — the  best  thing  which  can  be 
done  in  such  a  case  is,  to  ask  the  simple  ques- 
tion, "  Has  ever  any  one  found  out  his  own  elec- 
tion by  brooding  over  the  matter  as  I  am  doing  ? 
Many  have  acquired  a  cheering  persuasion  that 
their  names  were  '  written  in  the  Lamb's  book  of 
life :'  did  they  obtain  the  hope  of  this  by  such  a 
process  as  I  am  pursuing  ?  I  am  afraid  to  pray, 
and  have  no  heart  to  use  the  ordinary  means  of 
grace ;  because  I  am  not  sure  what  will  be  the 
issue.  Was  this  Paul's  plan }  Was  this  the  line 
of  conduct  v^hich  the  apostles  pointed  out  to  in- 


152  THE    TEMPTATIONS   AND 

quirers  ?  No  !— It  cannot,  therefore,  lead  me  to 
the  point  I  wish  to  reach.  I  have,  indeed,  instead 
of  trying  to  enter  into  *  the  secret  of  the  Lord'  by 
the  '  door,'  been  trying  to  «  climb  up  some  other 
way.'     This  is  wrong !" 

Are  you,  then,  persuaded  that  it  is  wrong  ? 
Well;  consider  again,  that  none  of  all  whom  you 
have  known  to  die  in  the  Lord,  or  know  to  be 
the  Lord's,  had  any  knowledge  of  their  own  elec- 
tion when  they  first  fled  to  Christ,  and  began  to 
follow  him.  Whatever  they  know  now,  they 
were,  for  a  time,  as  ignorant  on  this  point  as  you 
can  be ;  and  whatever  they  have  found  out,  was 
discovered  in  the  path  of  duty,  and  nowise  apart 
from  the  use  of  the  scriptures.  Ask  them — and 
they  will  tell  you  so.  Do  you,  then,  really  ima- 
gine that  it  is  necessary,  or  that  it  would  be  wise, 
to  reveal  to  you  a  matter  which,  for  a  time  is  kept 
hid  from  all  the  heirs  of  salvation  ?  Must  God, 
to  humour  your  curiosity,  alter  his  plan  of  acting 
under  the  gospel  ?  The  old  and  usual  plan  has 
done  well  enough  for  millions  and  myriads  who 
had  both  more  to  do  and  to  suffer  than  you  have. 
I  do  not  underrate  your  trials  nor  your  perplexi- 
ties ;  but  I  must  remind  you  that  better  soldiers 
have  had  to  fight  and  die  upon  the  bare  ground 


FIERY   DARTS    OF    SATAN.  153 

of  hope ;  so  that,  if  you  will  not  begin  the  spi- 
ritual warfare  without  assurance,  you  will  never 
begin  it  at  all. 

Besides ;  do  consider  that,  if  you  had  the  as- 
surance of  your  own  personal  election,  it  would 
not  alter  the  path  of  duty  in  the  least.  It  would 
unbind  nothing  that  is  binding  on  christians.  It 
would  not  prevent  trials,  nor  exempt  you  from 
temptations.  It  would,  indeed,  I  grant,  cheer 
you  in  the  path  of  duty  and  suffering,  to  know 
that  you  were  chosen  and  called  to  eternal  life  ; 
and  thus,  although  not  absolutely  necessary  to 
your  success,  it  is  certainly  desirable  for  your 
comfort.  I  will  even  go  farther,  and  affirm,  (for 
the  word  of  God  bears  me  out  in  doing  so]  that 
you  will  do  and  suffer  the  will  of  God  better 
when  you  know  your  election  of  God.  But,  if 
you  really  want  to  know  it  for  holy  purposes,  it 
is  not  such  a  secret  as  you  have  hitherto  imagined, 
nor  as  you  were  sure  to  find  it,  from  the  way  you 
took  to  discover  it. 

In  fact,  it  is  not  a  secret  at  all,  so  far  as  it  re- 
gards those  who  have  fled  to  Christ  for  a  holy 
salvation  :  they  are  the  elect  of  God.  All  that 
'*  love  God"  are  "  the  called  according  to  his 
purpose."     This  is  expressly  revealed,  for  their 


154  THE   TEMPTATIONS,    &C. 

satisfaction  on  the  point.  If,  therefore,  it  be  a 
secret  to  you,  it  is  so,  either  because  you  have 
not  observed  this  simple  fact,  or  because  you  still 
doubt  the  sincerity  of  your  own  faith  and  love. 
The  scriptural  fact,  however,  is  now  before  you ; 
— all  true  believers  are  the  elect  of  God  ;  and, 
therefore,  whatever  reason  you  have  to  regard 
yourself  as  a  believer,  is  proof  of  your  personal 
election.  You  have  no  occasion  to  perplex  your- 
self with  the  abstract  question,  if  you  are  con- 
scious of  loving  God  and  the  Lamb ;  for  love  to 
them  settles  the  whole  question  in  your  case,  and 
in  all  cases  where  love  is  genuine.  What  you 
have  to  do,  therefore,  is  simply  to  ascertain  the 
sincerity  of  your  faith  and  love ;  and  that  may 
be  soon  done,  if  you  take  care  to  distinguish  be- 
tween weakness  and  insincerity,  and  between  im- 
perfection and  pretence.  Now,  you  know  that 
your  avowals  of  faith  and  love  at  the  mercy-seat, 
and  your  desires  for  their  increase,  are  not  pre- 
tences,  but  the  unfeigned  language  of  your  heart, 
addressed  to  the  Searcher  of  hearts.  Well ;  his 
language  to  you  is  express, — "  I  have  loved  thee 
with  an  everlasting  love,  therefore  with  loving- 
kindness  have  I  drawn  thee,'^  And  let  this  be  your 
answer  to  all  the  counter-suggestions  of  Satan. 


CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE. 
No.  X. 

THE   FLUCTUATIONS   OF   RELIGIOUS   FEELING   AND 
ENJOYMENT. 


There  are  few  things  more  distressing  or  dis- 
couraging to  a  serious  mind,  than  the  unsteadi- 
ness of  its  own  feelings.  These  change  so  often 
and  so  much,  that  we  hardly  know  what  to  think 
of  ourselves  at  times.  We  wish  to  be  feelingly 
alive  to  the  glories  of  the  Saviour  and  salvation 
— to  the  solemnities  of  death  and  eternity — and 
to  the  claims  of  duty  and  devotion ;  but,  some- 
how, the  impression  of  these  great  realities  is  not 
abiding. — It  seems  often  **  ready  to  vanish  away" 
from  our  minds.  And  yet,  at  times,  the  impres- 
sion of  eternal  things  is  very  deep.  Occasionally, 
it  seizes  upon,  and  sinks  into,  the  heart  so  fully, 
that  we  could  not  throw  it  off  if  we  would ;  and 


156  THE   FLUCTUATIONS   OF 

yet  it  soon  passes  off,  even  against  our  will .  We 
do  not  intend  to  forget  divine  things,  nor  to  be- 
come formal  in  religious  duties;  but,  alas !  we  often 
do  both,  and  find  ourselves  almost  estranged  from 
God  and  godliness  ;  so  treacherous  and  changea- 
ble is  the  human  mind,  even  after  it  has  felt  much 
of  the  power  of  truth  and  eternity  ! 

This  melancholy  fact  naturally  gives  rise  to  a 
suspicion  in  our  own  breasts,  that,  whatever  we 
have  experienced,  we  are  not  yet  truly  converted 
to  God ;  for  it  seems  impossible  to  reconcile  these 
sad  changes  of  feeling  with  the  possession  of  "the 
root  of  the  matter."  All  our  ordinary  ideas  of  "a 
new  heart  and  a  right  spirit,"  include  the  neces- 
sity of  more  habitual  steadiness  of  purpose  and 
strength  of  spiritual  feeling.  Accordingly,  our 
relapses  into  deadness  and  formality  induce  a 
doubt,  if  not  of  our  sincerity,  of  our  conversion  ; 
and  thus  all  our  pleasing  hopes,  which  were  drawn 
from  the  consciousness  of  relying  on  Christ  for  a 
holy  salvation,  are  almost  upset,  at  times.  They 
seem  unwarranted  in  our  case,  because  our  feel- 
ings are  inconsistent  with  them,  and  with  all  our 
ideas  of  the  saving  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon 
the  heart.     The  consequence  is, — we  are  often 


RELIGIOUS   FEELING    AND    ENJOYMENT.    157 

ready  to  conclude  that  we  are  too  hasty  in  taking 
up  the  hope  of  salvation,  and  in  giving  ourselves 
credit  for  being  converted  characters.  We  are 
almost  persuaded,  at  times,  that  it  would  have 
been  better  to  have  waited  longer,  before  ven- 
turing to  avow  our  religious  feehngs  to  the  world 
or  to  the  church.  We  may  not  exactly  repent  of 
having  said  that  we  were  in  good  earnest  about 
the  salvation  of  our  souls ;  but  we  have  wished 
that  we  had  said  less,  and  thought  more,  on  the 
subject. 

In  this  painful  dilemma  many  find  themselves, 
and  hardly  know  what  to  do  or  think  in  their 
own  case.  The  sad  unsteadiness  of  their  reli- 
gious feelings  and  resolutions  keeps  some  back 
from  the  sacrament,  and  almost  forces  others 
away  from  it.  One  class  are  afraid  to  come, 
and  another  equally  afraid  to  continue.  The 
former  are  not  easy  in  their  absence  from  it, 
nor  the  latter  easy  in  their  attendance  on  it ;  and 
both,  whilst  in  this  unhappy  state  of  mind,  de- 
rive but  little  benefit  from  the  other  ordinances 
of  grace. 

Such  being  the  fact  of  this  case,  it  is  of  im- 
mense importance  to  both  classes,  that  the  subject 
p 


158  THE   FLUCTUATIONS    OF 

of  Fluctuating  Religious  Feelings  should  be  cleared 
up  to  them  without  reserve  or  delay.  It  is,  how- 
ever, a  subject  equally  delicate  and  difficult;  for 
any  view  of  it  which  would  lead  the  serious  to 
think  lightly  of  the  evil  of  dead  or  cold  frames  of 
mind,  would  do  far  more  injury  than  these  frames 
themselves.  For,  bad  as  they  are  in  themselves, 
and  in  their  influence  upon  christian  character, 
they  are  not  so  baneful  as  a  heedless  disregard  to 
the  state  of  the  heart.  He  who  trembles  at  the 
treachery  of  his  own  heart,  is  humbled,  as  well  as 
hindered,  by  it ;  whereas  he  who  is  reconciled  to 
a  vacant  mind  and  a  worldly  spirit,  and  thus  reck- 
less how  he  feels,  is  sure  to  make  shipwreck  of 
faith  and  of  a  good  conscience.  The  mourner 
over  the  plagues  of  his  own  heart  will,  at  least, 
not  increase  them ;  but  the  man  who  regards  them 
as  mere  matters  of  course,  and  thus  allows  them 
to  take  their  swing,  will  soon  bring  them  out  from 
the  centre  of  his  heart  to  the  surface  of  his  life. 

Such  being  my  own  personal  convictions,  and, 
as  far  as  I  can  ascertain  it,  the  actual  result  of  ge- 
neral experience  on  this  subject,  I  am  not  likely 
to  lessen  either  your  fear  or  hatred  of  those  melan- 
choly changes  of  feeling  which  now  pain  and  per- 


RELIGIOUS   FEELING    AND    ENJOYMENT.    159 

plex  you.  I  cannot,  indeed,  ^in  with  you  in 
regarding  them  as  utterly  incompatible  or  incon- 
sistent with  the  existence  of  saving  faith  in  the 
heart ;  but  I  am  fully  prepared  to  regard  them, 
in  reference  to  the  spiritual  health  of  the  soul,  as 
indicating,  what  similar  bodily  symptoms  imply, 
the  presence  of  disease.  Now,  all  is  not  right, 
but  much  wrong,  with  the  body,  when  there  is  a 
frequent  loss  of  appetite,  or  a  loathing  of  natu- 
ral food,  or  a  disposition  to  lethargy.  In  each  of 
these  cases  there  is  abundant  reason  for  fear  and 
care.  Accordingly,  we  are  both  fearful  and  care- 
ful, when  such  symptoms  show  themselves.  But, 
even  when  they  are  most  alarming,  we  never  ima- 
gine that  they  disprove  the  former  existence  of  life 
or  health.  Such  an  idea  is  too  absurd  to  be  ad- 
mitted for  a  moment.  Well;  in  like  manner,  the 
loss  of  spiritual  appetite  and  relish  does  not  prove 
that  we  never  had  any.  In  fact,  it  just  proves  the 
contrary :  for  as  we  know,  from  having  enjoyed 
bodily  health,  that  there  is  a  change  for  the  worse 
when  appetite  fails ;  so  the  felt  and  deplored  loss 
of  relish  for  divine  things,  proves  that  they  were 
once  enjoyed  by  the  soul.  Hence  Job's  piercing 
lamentation,  **  Oh,  that  it  were  with  me  as  in 


160  THE   FLUCTUATIONS    OF 

months  past/''  is  as  much  proof  that  "the  candle 
of  the  Lord"  had  shone  upon  him,  as  that  it  was 
then  eclipsed. 

Parallels  between  natural  and  spiritual  life  and 
health  are,  I  am  fully  aware,  hazardous  grounds 
of  argument,  when  the  object  is  to  ascertain  a 
point  so  solemn  as  the  conversion  of  the  soul  to 
God;  for  almost  any  bodily  action  or  emotion 
proves  the  existence  of  natural  life  to  a  certainty ; 
whereas  there  may  be  many  moral  feelings,  which, 
although  they  resemble  spiritual  feelings  in  some 
things,  do  not  amount  to  spiritual  life.  There 
are,  perhaps,  very  few  persons  amongst  those  who 
have  sat  under  a  faithful  ministry  of  the  Gospel, 
who  have  not  felt  both  alarmed  and  allured,  at 
times,  by  the  appeals  of  the  pulpit.  It  is  not 
even  uncommon  to  find  persons  completely  en- 
raptured, for  some  months  or  weeks,  with  a  mi- 
nistry which  is  full  of  Christ  and  grace,  and  so 
spiritual  withal,  that  it  seems  impossible  to  love 
it,  without  loving  the  Saviour  at  the  same  time. 
But  all  this,  we  know,  may  be  done  without  even 
leading  to  secret  prayer.  In  like  manner,  it  is 
quite  possible  to  take  a  very  lively  interest  in  re- 
ligious duties,  and  to  be  much  pleased,  for  a  con- 


RELIGIOUS   FEELING    AND    ENJOYMENT.    161 

siderable  time,  with  prayer-meetings  and  spiritual 
conversation  ;  and  yet  to  remain  unregenerate  all 
the  time.  This  is  often  proved,  by  the  return  of 
such  persons  to  their  old  habits  of  indifference 
and  neglect.  But  here  is  the  difference  between 
them  and  the  truly  serious  : — the  former  are  not 
sorry  to  give  up  their  new  habits,  nor  unwilling 
to  return  to  their  old  ways  ;  but  rather  glad,  than 
otherwise,  to  rid  themselves  of  religious  restraints: 
whereas  the  latter  cannot  bear  the  idea  of  going 
back  to  the  world,  nor  feel  easy  when  their  hearts 
are  becoming  worldly.  There  may  be  sad  changes 
for  the  worse,  in  the  state  of  their  feelings ;  but 
these  make  their  heart  sad,  and  humble  them  be- 
fore God.  They  count  it  no  gain,  but  a  heavy, 
heavy  loss,  to  get  free  from  the  holy  influence  of 
any  religious  principle  or  motive.  It  is  no  plea- 
sure to  them,  but  an  acute  pain,  to  feel  that  either 
the  Gospel  or  the  Law  is  losing  any  of  its  autho- 
rity over  thera.  In  a  word,  it  is  their  chief  bur- 
den and  terror  to  feel  less  affected  by  divine  things 
than  at  first. 

Now  when  this  is  the  real  state  of  the  case,  and 
when,  in  connection  with  this  sense  of  loss  and 
sin,  there  is  a  deep  desire  to  return  to  the  love 
p  2 


162  THE   FLUCTUATIONS   OF 

and  liveliness  of  former  days,  the  changes  do  not 
disprove  the  reality  of  the  faith  or  conversion  of 
such  mourners  in  Zion.  Lukewarm n ess  and  the 
loss  of  relish  in  the  service  of  God  and  the  Lamb, 
prove,  indeed,  much  against  such  mourners  ;  but 
they  do  not  prove  them  to  be  Unbelievers,  far  less 
hypocrites.  Bad  frames  of  mind  demonstrate  that 
there  has  been  some  bad  habit  or  temper  indulged, 
or  not  sufficiently  watched  against ;  and  that  there 
has  been  some  want  of  prayer  or  prudence,  and 
some  yielding  to  sloth,  or  tampering  with  temp- 
tation ;  and  any  of  these  causes  of  heartlessness 
are  reasons  for  deep  shame  and  humiliation,  but 
not  for  despair.  Despair  can  only  make  all  that 
is  bad  worse,  and  all  that  is  discouraging  despe- 
rate ;  because  its  direct  tendency  is  to  harden  the 
heart. 

But  whilst  it  is  true  that  bad  frames  of  spirit 
are  never  wholly  unconnected  with  remissness  of 
some  kind,  it  is  equally  true  that  both  they  and 
their  practical  causes  are  connected  with  some 
misapprehension  of  the  Gospel  itself.  There  has 
been  something  doctrinal  forgotten,  or  mistaken, 
or  overlooked,  as  well  as  something  practical  neg- 
lected, whenever  lukewarmness  or  disrelish  takes 


RELIGIOUS    FEELING    AND    ENJOYMENT.    163 

possession  of  the  heart.  Either  the  object,  of  faith, 
or  the  law  of  faith,  is  in  some  degree  lost  sight  of 
or  misunderstood,  when  the  followers  of  the  Lamb 
are  heartless  and  formal.  This  is  self-evident ;  be- 
cause it  is  impossible  for  any  man  to  believe  that 
he  himself  is  redeemed  by  the  blood  of  Christ, 
and  thus  made  a  child  of  God,  and  yet  remain 
unjeeling  towards  God  and  the  Lamb.  Accord- 
ingly, so  long  as  we  venture  to  cherish  the  fond 
hope  that  we  are  "  accepted  in  the  Beloved,"  we 
are  not  unfeeling  in  heart,  nor  formal  in  obedi- 
ence. It  is  when  we  forget  or  doubt  that  we  are 
•'justified  by  faith,"  that  we  cease  to  have  "  peace 
with  God,"  and  sink  into  heartlessness  in  his  ser- 
vice ;  and,  therefore,  the  grand  evangelical  fact, 
that  his  "  righteousness  is  upon  all  that  believe," 
should  never  be  forgotten  or  doubted  by  any  one 
who  is  relying  on  Christ  for  a  holy  salvation.  It 
is  the  duty  as  well  as  the  privilege,  of  all  who 
have  committed  their  souls  to  Christ,  to  believe 
that  they  are  justified  by  believing  on  Him  ;  be- 
cause, in  no  other  way  can  they  ever  obtain  the 
joy  of  salvation.  In  fact,  there  is  no  other  way  ; 
for,  whatever  the  Holy  Spirit  does  in  producing 
that  joy,  he  does  it  by  opening  up  this  revealed 


164  THE   FLUCTUATIONS   OF 

truth  to  the  mind,  and  enabling  the  soul  to  be- 
lieve it  on  its  own  behalf.  And  this  belief,  al- 
though not  essential  to  acceptance  with  God,  is 
essential  to  "  peace  with  God,"  and  to  the  main- 
tenance of  a  feeling  heart  in  his  service ;  for  no 
one  can  feel  aright  in  all  things,  who  does  not 
believe  aright  in  all  those  things  which  "  belong 
to  our  peace." 

If,  therefore,  you  never  understood  clearly  this 
part  of  the  Gospel,  nor  saw,  in  the  hand-writing 
of  God,  your  own  warrant  to  regard  yourself  as 
a  child  of  God,  it  is  no  wonder  that  your  best 
frames  and  feelings  have  not  been  lasting.  How 
could  they  last  under  the  weakening  and  wasting 
influence  of  suspense  ?  What  was  there  to  main- 
tain them  in  lively  exercise,  whilst  you  could  not 
lay  your  hand  upon  the  written  promise  of  your 
own  salvation  ?  Seeing  the  possibility  of  being 
saved,  is,  indeed,  "  a  great  sight,"  which  may 
well  awaken  whole  trains  of  sweet  and  solemn 
feelings  in  the  bosom  of  a  trembling  sinner ;  but 
these  cannot  last  long  in  their  sweetness^  unless 
he  see  too  the  probability  of  being  saved.  Even 
the  desire  of  salvation,  which  is,  perhaps,  the  most 
powerful  feeling  of  a  serious  mind,  must  lose  much 


RELIGIOUS   FEELING   AND   ENJOYMENT.    165 

of  its  power,  if  it  can  lay  hold  on  nothing:  stronger 
than  a  "  perad venture"  to  gratify  it.  The  soul 
craves  for  more — the  conscience  needs  more  than 
a  may-be  to  satisfy  them.  Accordingly,  if  they 
are  not  satisfied,  they  soon  fall  asleep  again,  or 
return  to  their  old  portion. 

Here,  then,  is  one  great  cause  of  the  decline 
of  rpiritual  relish ; — the  spiritual  appetite,  when 
hungering  and  thirsting  for  salvation,  is  not  taken 
direct  to  the  Gospel  for  satisfaction,  but  tantalized 
by  mere  peradventures.  Indeed,  even  prayer  it- 
self fails  to  keep  up  a  happy  frame  of  mind,  when 
the  mind  has  nothing  else  to  look  to  but  the  bare 
probability  of  an  eventual  answer.  Accordingly, 
if  you  have  been  doing  nothing  more  than  pray- 
ing for  salvation,  it  is  really  no  wonder  that  your 
enjoyment  has  been  both  small  and  unsteady.  Not, 
indeed,  that  you  have  prayed  too  much ;  that  is 
impossible  ;  but  because  you  have  believed  too 
little.  God  answers  prayer  by  blessing  his  own 
Word  to  the  soul ;  and  therefore  it  is  as  neces- 
sary to  "  search  the  Scriptures,"  as  it  is  to  cry 
for  mercy.  But  if,  instead  of  combining  with 
prayer  the  study  of  the  Gospel,  that  you  might 
thus   understand    the   salvation    you  have  been 


166  THE   FLUCTUATIONS    OF 

seeking,  you  have  gone  on  expecting  that  the 
pardon,  and  peace,  and  joy  which  you  wanted, 
would  be  infused,  in  some  mysterious  way,  into 
your  heart, — your  disappointment  is  a  matter  of 
course ;  for  you  did  not  take  God's  plan  of  suc- 
ceeding ;  and  the  consequence  is — the  darkness 
and  deadness  which  you  complain  of.  In  fact, 
confining  the  pursuit  of  salvation  to  prayer  alone, 
is  almost  enough  to  bring  prayer  itself  to  a  speedy 
and  final  end;  for  no  man  will  persist  long  in  fer- 
vent prayer,  if,  after  many  strong  cries  and  tears, 
he  find  himself  as  far  off  as  ever  from  hope  and 
peace.  He  may  not  throw  off  the  habit  of  it ;  but 
it  will  gradually  fall  off,  if  he  gain  nothing  by  it. 
Nor  is  this  all  the  bad  effect  of  disuniting  faith 
from  prayer ;  the  man  who,  after  much  prayer  for 
pardon  and  peace,  finds  no  sense,  no  symptom, 
of  either  in  his  mind,  is  strongly  tempted  to  aban- 
don the  pursuit  as  hopeless,  and  to  suspect  that 
God  has  singled  him  out  as  an  exception  to  the 
rule,  that  "  whosoever  shall  call  on  the  name  of 
the  Lord  shall  be  saved."  And  when  this  dark 
suspicion  sets  in  upon  his  mind,  it  soon  gives 
birth  to  still  darker  thoughts  and  feelings.  And 
even  when  disappointment  does  not  occasion  such 


RELIGIOUS   FEELING    AND   ENJOYMENT.     167 

horrid  suspicions,  it  wears  out  the  spirit  of  prayer, 
and  weighs  down  all  the  best  feelings  of  the  heart. 
The  sad  reflection,  "  I  obtain  no  answers  to  my 
prayers,  and  find  no  enjoyment  in  them  now  !" 
almost  cuts  the  cords  which  first  bound  the  soul 
to  "  the  horns  of  the  altar."  And  when  such,  or 
indeed  any  considerations  alienate  the  soul  from 
secret  devotion,  they  soon  alter  all  its  gracious 
feelings  and  habits. 

Now  it  is  thus,  chiefly,  that  matters  go  wrong 
in  the  heart  of  the  serious  ;  they  miss  enjoyment 
by  overlooking  part  of  the  Gospel,  and  thus  lose 
much  of  their  first  love  and  liveliness.  Other 
oversights  concur,  indeed,  with  this  one,  in  pro- 
ducing and  prolonging  a  low  state  of  piety  in  the 
soul ;  and  nothing  can  restore  the  soul  to  spiri- 
tual health,  which  does  not  correct  these  practi- 
cal oversights,  and  lead  to  watchfulness  and  dili- 
gence. Nothing,  however,  can  restore  the  soul  to 
the  joy  of  salvation,  or  to  the  power  of  godhness, 
but  the  Holy  Spirit,  by  leading  you  *'  into  all 
truth;"  for,  until  you  have  a  personal  hold  upon 
the  great  salvation,  it  cannot  have  a  permanent 
influence  upon  your  heart.  Now,  such  a  hold  of 
it  you  have  either  not  obtained,  or  you  have  lost 


168  THE   FLUCTUATIONS    OF 

it ;  and,  whichever  be  the  case,  there  is  only  one 
way  of  obtaining  it, — namely,  by  the  belief  of  2i\\ 
the  truth.  Watchfulness,  without  believing,  will 
not  make  the  heart  happy,  nor  "  right  with  God :" 
prayer,  without  believing,  will  not  restore  the  joy 
of  salvation.  They  may  produce  a  state  of  mind 
and  character,  so  devout,  and  humble,  and  up- 
right, that,  by  reasoning  from  effects  to  causes^ 
you  may  venture  to  conclude  that  your  salvation 
is  begun,  and  thus  get  hold  of  it  by  inference.  It 
was  thus,  most  likely,  that  you  acquired  your  first 
hope  and  joy  of  salvation,  the  loss  of  which  you 
now  deplore.  You  then  felt  as  you  had  never 
done  before,  and  found  such  a  change  of  heart 
and  habits  taking  place  in  you,  and  were  con- 
scious of  such  a  willingness  to  be  indebted  and 
devoted  to  the  Saviour, — that  you  could  hardly 
doubt  the  reality  of  your  conversion.  Accord- 
ingly, from  thus  seeing  and  feeling  the  work  of 
the  Spirit  within  you,  you  ventured  to  conclude 
that  the  work  of  Christ  was  for  you.  Because 
you  thought  that  the  Holy  Spirit  had  *'  quick- 
ened" you,  you  hoped  that  the  Saviour  had  "died 
for"  you;  and  because  certain  marks  of  effectual 
calling  were  showing  themselves  in  your  heart  and 


RELIGIOUS   FEELING   AND    ENJOYMENT.    169 

life,  you  ventured  to  regard  them  as  some  evi- 
dence of  being  '*  called  according  to  the  pur- 
pose" of  God. 

It  was,  perhaps,  somewhat  in  this  way,  that 
you  obtained  whatever  hold  of  salvation  you  got 
for  yourself  at  first ;  and,  could  you  see  all  those 
marks  of  grace  about  yourself  again,  you  would 
feel  warranted  and  encouraged  to  take  down  your 
harp  from  the  willows,  and  sing  again  the  New 
Song  :  but  as  some  of  these  marks  are  almost 
gone,  and  all  of  them  more  or  less  decayed,  you 
dare  not  sing  as  in  the  days  of  old,  nor  even  hope 
as  formerly.  But  now,  if  this  really  be  a  true 
copy  of  your  past  and  present  views  and  feelings, 
does  it  not  occur  to  you,  on  looking  at  the  copy, 
that  you  have,  all  along,  had  but  confused  ideas 
of  the  Gospel  ?  You  seem,  indeed,  to  have  be- 
lieved it  cordially  as  far  as  you  understood  it ;  but 
it  does  not  seem  that  you  3ver  studied  it  half  so 
much  as  you  did  the  frames  of  your  own  mind. 
You  must  have  looked  chiefly  into,  and  at,  your- 
self for  a  warrant  to  hope  in  Christ.  Do  consider 
this  fact.  According  to  your  own  account  of  the 
matter,  you  have,  since  you  began  to  think  se- 
riously, been  much  in  the  habit  of  marking  the 
Q 


170  THE    FLUCTUATIONS   OF 

workings  of  your  own  mind,  and  the  meltings  of 
your  heart ;  and  when  you  found  them  of  a  holy 
and  humble  character,  you  began  to  think  that 
you  were  then  warranted,  and  almost  welcome, 
to  hope  in  Christ  for  your  own  salvation;  but, 
now  that  you  feel  less  spiritual  and  contrite,  you 
are  afraid  to  hope. 

Now  really,  if  this  be  the  real  state  of  the  case 
with  you,  you  have  misunderstood  the  Gospel 
more  than  I  have  hitherto  supposed  you  to  have 
done.  For  do  you  not  see,  that,  in  all  your  rea- 
sonings from  effects  to  causes,  your  own  feelings, 
and  not  God's  invitations,  have  been  made  your 
chief  warrant  for  hoping  in  Christ.  This  is  self- 
evident,  seeing  that,  now  your  tenderness  of  feel- 
ing is  gone,  you  are  afraid  to  hope; — a  plain  proof 
that  you  have  studied  your  own  heart  far  more  than 
the  word  of  God.  What  He  says  concerning  the 
ground  and  warrant  of  hope,  has  had  less  of  your 
attention  than  what  you  felt  towards  religion  in 
general.  Now,  although  you  did  not,  and,  in- 
deed, could  not,  feel  too  much,  you  have  made  a 
wrong  use  of  your  best  feelings,  in  thus  making 
them  your  chief  encouragement  in  hoping  for  sal- 
vation ;  for,  they  are  no  part  of  the  ground  of  hope, 


RELIGIOUS   FEELING    AND   ENJOYMEJNT.    171 

nor,  in  themselves,  of  its  warrant.  "  Behold 
the  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of 
the  world,'' ^  is  both  the  only  ground  and  warrant 
of  hope  which  the  scriptures  contain.  Nor  is 
any  thing  more  necessary ;  for  as  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb  answers  all  the  demands  of  the  law,  so  the 
word  of  the  Lamb  warrants  all  who  are  looking 
to  Him  alone  for  acceptance  with  God,  to  believe 
that  they  are  accepted.  This  is  the  Gospel !  "  He 
that  believeth,  is  justified  from  all  things."  *«  He 
that  believeth  hath  eternal  life."  If,  therefore, 
you  are  conscious  that,  notwithstanding  all  your 
mistakes  and  relapses,  your  real  design  was  and 
is  to  rely  upon  Christ  alone,  that  you  might  be- 
come like  Christ ;  you  too  are  warranted,  by  the 
direct  authority  of  God,  to  believe  that  you  are  a 
partaker  of  that  salvation  which  you  were,  just 
now,  afraid  to  hope  for.  And  if  you  are  aston- 
ished to  find  the  matter  brought  to  this  much- 
desired,  but  unexpected  issue,  do  remember  that 
it  is  only  saying,  in  other  words,  that  eternal  life 
is  '« the  free  gift  of  God"  to  them  who  believe  in 
Christ.  Consider  these  things,  and  they  will  soon 
restore  all  your  best  feelings,  and  place  them  upon 
a  firmer  basis  than  ever  they  stood  on  before. 


CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE. 

No.  XL 
THE  CAUSES  OF  BACKSLIDING. 


One  great  cause  of  backsliding  is  the  uncer^ 
tainty  which  many  of  the  serious  allow  to  rest 
upon  the  question  of  their  own  faith  in  Christ. 
They  never  were  sure  that  they  were  believers. 
They  wished  to  be  so — tried  to  be  so — and  hoped 
that,  eventually,  they  should  prove  to  be  so. 
This  may  be  your  case.  You  were  quite  sure, 
when  you  began  to  follow  Christ,  that  a  great 
change  had  taken  place  in  your  heart  and  habits, 
and  in  your  views  and  feelings ; — so  great,  that 
you  could  not  but  regard  it,  then,  as  the  begin- 
ning of  that  *'  good  work"  which  God  has  pro- 
mised to  carry  on.  Accordingly,  under  this  sweet 
persuasion,  you  began  to  act  as  a  believer,  and  to 
apply  to  yourself  ail  the  commands  which  are  en- 
joined upon  believers.  Thus,  in  reference  to  duty. 


CAUSES    OF    BACKSLIDING.  173 

you  cast  in  your  lot  with  the  people  of  God,  and 
willingly  came  under  all  their  peculiar  obligations ; 
and  the  readiness  with  which  you  did  so,  at  that 
time,  was  no  small  proof  to  yourself,  and  others, 
that  you  were  the  subject  of  a  divine  change.  You 
were  even  glad  to  find  that  you  were  no  longer 
unwilling  to  follow  holiness,  nor  averse  to  devo- 
tion. You  wondered  and  wept  that  you  had  ever 
neglected  them — and  adored  the  grace  which  had 
put  an  end  to  that  criminal  negligence.  Accord- 
ingly you  often  felt  sure  that  you  could  never  re- 
lapse into  your  old  state  of  mind  ;  the  bare  idea 
of  going  back  from  the  **  narrow  way"  into  the 
"  broad  way"  again,  was  abhorrent  to  you.  You 
could  not  believe  that  it  was  possible,  after  all 
that  you  had  seen  and  felt,  to  forsake  the  fountain 
of  living  waters,  and  return  to  the  broken  cisterns 
of  sin  or  folly.  But  you  have  done  so,  and  left 
both  your  "  first  love,"  and  your  "  first  works." 
You  are  now  a  backslider,  and  feel  and  confess 
that  you  are  so. 

Many  causes,  of  course,  concurred  in  producing 

this  backsliding ;  and  all  the  moral  causes  of  it 

are  well  known  to  yourself.     You  can  see,  at  a 

glance,  how  it  began  in  the  neglect  of  secret 

Q  2 


174  CAUSES    OF   BACKSLIDING. 

prayer;  and  how  it  went  on  by  the  neglect  of 
self-examination  ;  and  how  it  settled  into  a  kind 
of  apostacy  of  heart  frona  God  and  godliness,  by 
an  undue  attention  to  the  world,  or  by  tampering 
with  forbidden  things.  Your  heart  condemns  you 
— and  "  God  is  greater  than  your  heart,  and  know- 
eth  all  things/''  The  case,  however,  although  both 
lamentable  and  criminal,  is  not  hopeless.  You 
have,  indeed,  almost  given  up  God ;  but  God  has 
not  given  up  you ;  so  that  there  is  still  hope  in 
Israel  concerning  this  thing!  For  it  is  just  as 
true  that  God  **  heals  backslidings,"  as  that  he 
pardons  sins ; — just  as  true  that  the  backslider  is 
welcome  to  return  to  Christ,  as  that  any  sinner  is 
welcome  to  come  to  him.  He  who  restored  Peter 
will  not  reject  you,  when  you  seek  him  with  all 
your  heart.  The  Saviour  is,  in  fact,  more  un- 
willing to  give  you  up  finally,  than  you  are  to  be 
given  up  by  him. 

Such  being  the  real  state  of  the  case,  the  first 
question  is,  of  course.  How  must  you  return  r 
Now  there  is  not  one  way  for  unbelievers  to 
come  to  God,  and  another  for  backsliders  to 
return  to  God  ;  but  the  way  in  which  you  came, 
is  the  only  way  in  which  you  can  return.     Both 


CAUSES    OF    BACKSLIDING.  175 

unbelievers  and  backsliders  have  *'  access  to  God," 
only  **  by  the  biood  of  Christ ;"  but  in  that  way, 
whosoever  cometh,  or  returneth,  he  will  in  no  wise 
cast  out.  In  a  word,  backsliders  can  only  be  re- 
stored in  the  same  way  that  sinners  are  justified, 
— by  believing  in  Christ  for  salvation. 

Now,  if  you  intend  to  try  again  this  way  of 
access  to  God,  see  to  it,  I  beseech  you,  that  the 
question  of  your  believing  is  not  left  in  the  doubt- 
ful state  in  which  you  allowed  it  to  remain,  when 
you  first  attempted  to  believe  with  the  heart  ;  for 
if  you  leave  it  unsettled,  or  uncertain,  you  will 
soon  backslide  again.  You  cannot  go  on  well  in 
the  ways  of  God,  until  you  know  that  you  are  a 
believer.  All  your  former  backslidings  arose, 
more  or  less,  out  of  your  former  uncertainty  on 
this  point.  They  had,  indeed,  other  and  ivorse 
causes ;  but  this,  too,  was  a  cause.  And  in  this 
way : — not  being  sure  that  you  were  a  believer, 
you  were  not,  and  could  not  be,  sure  that  you 
had  any  right  to  the  comfort  of  the  great  and  pre- 
cious promises.  Accordingly  you  were  afraid, 
even  in  your  best  days,  to  apply  them  freely  to 
yourself.  I  mean,  you  did  not,  and  durst  not, 
even  tlien,  apply  the  promises  to  your  own  case, 


176  CAUSES    OF   BACKSLIDING. 

as  you  applied  the  laws  of  the  Gospel.  You  were 
quite  sure  that  it  was  your  bounden  duty  to  re- 
gard all  the  commandments  of  God  as  the  rule 
of  your  life ;  but  you  were  not  sure  that  it  was 
your  privilege  to  regard  all  the  promises  of  God 
as  the  portion  of  your  soul.  You  pleaded,  in- 
deed, the  promises  in  the  name  of  Christ,  and 
hoped  that  God  would  fulfil  them  in  your  expe- 
rience ;  but  you  often  doubted  whether  he  would 
do  so,  and  felt  that  you  had  no  certain  hold  on 
Him  or  them.  The  consequence  of  all  this  was, 
that  the  Gospel  had  not  a  firm  hold  upon  you ; 
and  therefore,  when  temptation  came,  you  were 
not  fully  prepared  to  resist  it.  You  could  not 
say,  *'  I  am  a  child  of  God,  and  must  not  give 
way  to  it — an  heir  of  salvation,  and  need  not  be 
vanquished  by  it."  Temptation,  therefore,  had 
nothing  to  contend  with,  but  a  sense  of  duty  and 
interest;  and  this  it  overcame. 

It  is  of  immense  importance  to  understand  this 
point  clearly.  You  were  quite  sincere,  and  not 
unhappy,  when  you  began  to  follow  Christ :  sal- 
vation was  your  supreme  object ;  and  the  hope 
of  obtaining  it,  sooner  or  later,  was  the  joy  of 
your  heart. 


CAUSES    OF    BACKSLIDING.  177 

You  did  not,  however,  expect  to  obtain  it 
soon  ;  but  laid  your  account  with  years,  perhaps, 
of  diligence,  before  you  could  make  your  calling 
and  election  sure.  And,  at  first,  you  were  not 
unwilling  to  pursue  the  assurance  of  salvation  at 
this  expense  of  diligence.  You  thought,  and 
rightly  too,  that  the  witness  and  seal  of  the  Spirit 
would  amply  repay  all  the  pains  taken  to  obtain 
them.  However,  before  they  could  come,  you 
had  begun  to  go  astray.  Neither  your  diligence 
nor  delight  lasted  long.  They  did  not,  indeed, 
pass  away  so  rapidly  as  the  early  cloud,  or  the 
morning  dew ;  but  they  did  pass  away  sooner 
than  you  could  have  imagined  it  possible  for 
them.  Now  remember,  and  mark, — just  in  pro- 
portion as  your  delight  in  the  ways  of  God  de- 
clined, your  diligence  abated;  and,  exactly  as 
both  declined,  your  doubts  of  the  reality  of  your 
conversion  multiplied.  Accordingly  it  was  not 
as  a  child  of  God — not  as  a  believer — not  even 
in  the  character  of  a  convert, — that  you  departed 
from  God :  but,  in  leaving  Him,  you  suspected 
that  you  had  never  belonged  to  him.  You,  most 
likely,  even  palliated  your  backslidings  to  your- 
self, by  the  consideration  that  you   had  either 


178  CAUSES    OF   BACKSLIDING. 

never  avowed  yourself  to  be  a  true  convert,  or 
had  not  been  sure  of  it  in  your  own  mind.  Your 
backsliding  did  not,  therefore,  appear  to  you  as 
the  departure  of  a  child  from  a  father,  but  of  a 
servant  from  a  master.  You  felt,  indeed,  that 
you  were  risking  your  soul  more  than  ever ;  but 
you  felt,  too,  that  it  had  never  been  safe.  Thus, 
you  had  not  all,  nor  the  best,  motives  of  a  con- 
scious behever,  to  restrain  you.  You  had,  in- 
deed, motives  which  ought  to  have  restrained 
you,  and  which  would  have  done  so,  if  they  had 
been  kept  stedfastly  in  view ;  and  it  is  both  your 
sin  and  shame,  that  you  lost  sight  of  them  :  but 
still,  you  had  not  that  magnetic  motive  which 
confirmed  the  souls  of  the  first  disciples, — "  We 
love  him  because  he  first  loved  us^  Any  love 
you  had  to  the  Saviour  arose  either  from  the 
consideration  of  his  general  love  to  the  world, 
or  from  the  hope  that  he  might,  one  day,  mani- 
fest his  love  to  you  ;  and,  as  the  manifestation 
which  you  looked  for  did  not  come,  the  dili- 
gence which  you  began  with  did  not  go  on. 

Now,  if  this  were  the  real  state  of  the  matter 
in  your  case,  thus,  it  is  evident,  it  will  be  again, 
unless  you  get  under  the  influence  of  the  pecu- 


CAUSES    OF   BACKSLIDING.  179 

Hart  as  well  as  the  common,  motives  which  bind 
the  soul  to  Christ  and  holiness.  In  returning  to 
God,  therefore,  see  to  it — that  it  is  by  believing 
in  Christ  that  you  may  *'  be  justified  by  the  faith 
of  Christ,''  Your  first  approaches  to  the  Saviour 
came  short  of  this.  "  The  end"  of  whatever 
faith  you  exercised  then,  was  the  remote,  not 
the  immediate,  salvation  of  your  soul  ;  whereas 
you  are  warranted,  and  v/elcome,  immediately 
upon  committing  your  soul  to  Christ  for  a  lioly 
salvation,  to  believe  that  you  *'  shall  be  saved  ;" 
for  God  accepts  at  once,  and  Christ  keeps  for 
ever,  all  who  believe  with  the  heart  unto  righ- 
teousness. Credit  this,  therefore,  in  your  own 
case ;  and  thus,  although  future  backsliding  will 
not  be  rendered  impossible,  it  will  be  far  less 
likely  to  occur. 

There  is,  however,  a  class  of  backsliders  who 
never  went  so  far,  either  in  believing  or  obeying 
the  Gospel,  as  in  the  case  just  stated.  They 
knew  something  of  the  way  of  salvation,  and,  for 
a  time,  felt  so  much  of  its  value  that  they  could 
not  neglect  secret  prayer,  nor  pray  without  tears. 
They  were  often  quite  overcome,  both  in  their 
closets  and  in   the    sanctuary,   with    sweet    or 


180  CAUSES    OF   BACKSLIDING. 

solemn  impressions  of  divine  and  eternal  things. 
Their  hearts  melted  or  warmed  whenever  they 
pondered  on  the  great  salvation.  But  now,  all 
this  holy  susceptibility  and  deep  feeling  is  lost, 
and,  with  it,  all  the  hope  which  it  gave  rise  to. 
Accordingly,  such  persons,  on  looking  back  to 
their  former  state  of  mind,  and  contrasting  it 
with  the  present,  feel  that  they  are  backsliders 
in  heart  and  in  life.  The  consciousness  of  this 
melancholy  fact  overwhelms  them  at  times  ;  but 
when  they  think  of  returning  to  the  Fountain  of 
living  waters,  the  want  of  their  old  feelings  of 
love  and  relish  discourages  them.  Hence  the 
language  of  some  is,  "  O  that  it  were  with  me 
as  in  months  past !  but  I  can  neither  feel  nor 
pray  now  as  I  did  then,  and,  therefore,  I  dare 
not  hope.  My  soul  no  longer  prospers,  and 
therefore  I  can  take  no  comfort  from  the  pro- 
mises. I  have  lost  my  first  love,  and  now  I  can 
get  no  hold  upon  Christ  for  myself.  I  have 
departed  from  God,  and  God  has,  in  anger,  hid 
his  face  from  me  !" 

Now  this  is  certainly  a  deplorable  case ;  and 
whoever  would  treat  it  harshly  has  not  the  spi- 
rit of  Christ.     The  sincerity  and  humility  of  the 


CAUSES   OF   BACKSLIDIxNG.  181 

confession  demand  both  respect  and  tenderness. 
There  are,  however,  mistakes  mixed  up  with  it, 
which  require  to  be  corrected,  even  if  some  pain 
be  incurred  by  the  correction  of  them. 

Now,  when  you  say  that  **  God  has  hid  his 
fece  from  you  in  anger,"  this  impUes  that  you 
once  saw  it  in  love,  and  enjoyed  the  light  of  his 
couLtenance.  But  is  this  really  true  ?  Is  it  cer- 
tain that  what  you  once  enjoyed,  was  the  divine 
presence  shining  on  your  soul  ?  It  is  quite  cer- 
tain that  you  enjoyed  something  which  was  both 
pleasing  and  profitable  to  you  at  the  time :  of  that 
there  can  be  no  doubt,  seeing  the  memory  of  those 
happy  moments  is  so  dear  to  you,  and  the  loss  of 
them  so  deeply  deplored  by  you.  It  is  not,  there- 
fore, with  any  view  of  throwing  discredit  on  your 
word,  that  I  ask.  Is  it  the  fact,  that  God  ever  ma- 
nifested himself  to  your  soul  as  your  Father  and 
portion  ?  Every  thing  is  not  the  divine  presence 
which  is  called  so.  What  you  felt  then,  may  ap- 
pear, when  compared  with  your  present  darkness, 
the  light  of  God's  countenance ;  but  you  did  not, 
perhaps,  think  it  so  then.  Remember  what  was 
your  opinion  of  that  joy,  when  it  was  full,  and 
whilst  it  lasted !     Were  you,  then,  sure  that  you 

R 


182  CAUSES   OF   BACKSLIDING. 

had  obtained  salvation — sure  that  you  were  ac- 
cepted in  the  Beloved — sure  that  you  were  passed 
from  death  to  life  ?  Did  not  your  joy  arise  rather 
from  a  persuasion  that  you  were  in  a/aiV  way  for 
finding  mercy  at  last  ?  Were  you  not  quite  as 
much  pleased  with  your  own  good  feelings  and  in- 
tentions as  with  the  Gospel  ?  Was  it  not,  chiefly, 
because  you  felt  as  you  did,  that  y6u  hoped  as 
you  did  then  ?  Remember,  as  minutely  as  you 
can,  the  precise  character  of  your  first  love  !  I 
am  not  attempting  to  discredit  its  sincerity,  but 
to  ascertain  how  far  it  was  influenced  by  faith  in 
the  atonement.  What  I  want  to  get  at  in  your 
case,  is,  the  degree  in  which  your  hopes  and  hap- 
piness arose  from  believing  views  of  the  blood  of 
Christ.  Now,  you  did  not  overlook  that  great 
atonement,  nor  presume  to  hope  apart  from  its 
merits.  In  one  sense,  it  was  your  only  and  final 
plea  at  the  mercy-seat :  but  did  you,  even  in  your 
best  days,  think  it  a  sufficient  plea  ?  When  you 
pleaded  it  most  fervently,  did  you  feel  it  to  be 
enough,  in  itself  and  by  itself,  to  obtain  for  you 
acceptance  with  God  ?  Did  you  see  nothing  be- 
tween you  and  hell,  but  the  cross  ? — and  see  that 
to  be  quite  enough  to  save  you  from  the  wrath  to 


CAUSES    OF   BACKSLIDING.  183 

come  ?  Did  you  really  believe  or  perceive,  that 
nothing  but  faith  was  necessary  in  order  to  war- 
rant hope  ?  Did  it  ever  occur  to  you,  even  when 
your  faith  was  strongest,  that  your  faith  had  saved 
you  ?  Or,  is  it  not  the  fact,  that  you  attached  far 
more  importance  to  your  feelings  than  to  your 
faith  ?  Be  honest ! — your  believing  went  for 
little  in  your  own  estimation.  You  thought  it 
the  least  part  of  your  piety ;  and  that,  not  be- 
cause it  was  weak,  but  because  you  had  very 
little  faith  in  the  use  of  faith  itself,  or  did  not 
regard  your  own  believing  as  faith.  What  you 
believed  was  the  last  thing  you  thought  of,  when 
examining  the  reality  of  your  religion  :  you  laid 
the  chief  stress  upon  your  tears,  prayers,  and  holy 
desires,  and  hardly  allowed  any  weight  to  your 
believing.  This  is  self-evident ;  for  you  still  be- 
lieve all  that  you  did  then,  and  still  think  your 
belief  of  the  Gospel  of  no  consequence  or  real 
use.  It  gives  you  no  comfort  now,  and  therefore 
it  was  not  it  which  comforted  you  then. 

Surely  all  this  forces  upon  you  the  suspicion, 
if  not  the  conviction,  that  whatever  you  felt,  even 
in  your  best  days,  you  did  not  understand  the 
way  of  salvation  by  faith  well.     For,  do  you  not 


184  CAUSES    OP  BACKSLIDING. 

see,  that  if  the  atonement  had  really  been  the 
sole  ground  of  your  hope  then,  and  if  faith  in 
it  had  been  your  hold  of  it,  you  could  hope  still, 
because  you  believe  still  all  that  you  did  then  ? 
You  are  changed  for  the  worse  in  many  respects, 
but  your  believing  goes  on  as  formerly.  I  mean 
— you  disbelieve  none  of  the  truths  which  you  be- 
lieved then.  You  have  as  much  faith  in  the  truth 
of  the  Gospel  as  ever ;  but  having  less  feeling, 
you  attach  no  importance  to  it.  You  never  laid 
much  stress  upon  your  believing,  and  now  you 
think  it  of  no  use  whatever. 

The  object  of  these  remarks  is,  to  convince 
you,  that  however  sincere,  warm,  or  pleasing, 
your  former  religious  feelings  were,  you  were, 
all  along,  very  imperfectly  acquainted  with  the 
way  of  salvation  ;  indeed,  so  ignorant  of  it,  that 
if  all  these  feelings  were  restored  in  your  heart, 
they  would  not  prove  you  to  be  a  believer.  The 
loss  of  them  proves  that  you  are  a  backslider 
from  much  that  was  good  and  promising ;  but  the 
revival  of  them,  in  all  their  original  tenderness, 
would  not  constitute  a  child  of  God :  for  sinners 
are  made  **  the  sons  of  God,  by  faith  in  Christ 
Jesus;"  whereas,  in  your  creed,  this  grand  prin- 


CAUSES    OF    BACKSLIDING.  185 

ciple  of  the  Gospel  has  been  overlooked  or  mis- 
understood. Or,  if  you  have  talked  of  salvation 
by  faith,  you  must  have  meant,  by  faith,  some- 
thing more  than  the  hearty  belief  of  the  truth 
concerning  the  person  and  work  of  Christ.  De- 
pend on  it,  therefore,  that  you  are  not,  and 
never  have  been,  so  humble  as  you  imagine ;  for 
had  you  seen  or  believed  that  there  was  no- 
thing but  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  between  you 
and  perishing,  you  must  have  seen  too,  that 
the  only  way  of  escape  is  by  trusting  to  that 
blood.  Well — it  is  open  to  your  confidence 
still;  and,  if  you  are  persuaded  of  the  truth  of 
its  freeness  and  efficacy,  why  not  trust  in  it  at 
once  ? 

Many  other  causes  of  backsliding  might  be 
(perhaps  ought  to  have  been)  enumerated;  but 
the  moral  causes  of  it  are  so  abundantly  ex- 
plained in  other  works,  that  it  seemed  better  to 
confine  this  chapter  to  those  mistakes,  and  to 
that  uncertainty,  upo-n  the  subject  of  a  personal 
interest  in  Christ,  which  give  such  power  to 
temptation,  by  leaving  the  mind  unsatisfied, 
and  unfortified  with  the  hope  of  salvation. 

R  2 


CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE. 
No.  XII. 

SANCTIFIED  AFFLICTIONS. 


The  perplexity  of  the  serious  is  often  in- 
creased, for  a  time,  by  their  trials  or  calami- 
ties. And  in  this  way:  it  seems  hard,  when 
we  are  willing  and  trying  to  do  well  in  the 
service  of  God,  to  be  hindered  by  an  unusual 
weight  of  affliction.  Such  a  hindrance  we  did 
not  look  for ;  but  almost  calculated  that  provi^ 
dence,  as  well  as  grace,  would  smile  upon  us 
when  we  became  the  decided  followers  of  the 
Lamb.  We  may  not,  indeed,  have  ventured 
to  say  so,  in  words,  to  ourselves  ;  but  it  was 
almost  an  understood  thing,  and  taken  for 
granted  by  us,  that  we  should  be  in  less  dan- 
ger than  formerly.  We  intended  to  do  so  well, 
and  to  be  so  devoted  to  God,  that  it  seemed 


SANCTIFIED   AFFLICTIONS.  187 

unlikely  that  he  v/ould  allow  any  thing  to  be- 
fall us,  which  was  likely  to  hinder  or  unhinge 
us :  but  God's  thoughts  are  not  as  our  thoughts 
on  this  point.  He  has  allowed  both  trials  and 
calamities  to  come  upon  us ;  and  these  may 
be  only  "  the  beginning  of  sorrows/' 

But  this,  although  painful,  should  not  sur^ 
prise  us ;  we  had  no  warrant  to  calculate  upon 
exemption  from  tribulation.  In  fact,  we  ought 
to  have  laid  our  account  with  passing  through 
**many  tribulations,"  from  the  time  we  began 
to  walk  in  "the  narrow  way"  to  heaven.  It 
was  *'M;nV<en,"  that  we  should  have  to  do  so: 
it  was  obvious  that  all  who  had  preceded  us  in 
the  way  to  Zion,  had  done  so.  If,  therefore, 
we  flattered  ourselves,  in  the  face  of  all  divine 
testimony  and  of  all  human  experience,  the  flat- 
tery must  have  been  aknost  wilful,  and  alto- 
gether inexcusable.  "But  no  strange  thing  has 
befallen"  us,  however  much  we  may  be  star- 
tled or  staggered  by  our  afflictions.  We  may 
see  the  same  crosses  on  the  shoulders  of  many 
of  our  brethren  ;  yea,  and  upon  many  who  are 
strangers  to  God  and  godliness,  and  who  have 
thus  no  resource  in  the  day  of  calamity.    Now 


188  SANCTIFIED  AFFLICTIONS. 

if  it  be  so  hard  to  bear  up  under  heavy  trials, 
notwithstanding  all  that  we  know  of  the  wisdom 
of  God,  and  of  the  tenderness  of  the  Saviour, 
how  intolerable  it  must  be  to  suffer  without 
hope! 

This  is  a  view  of  our  trials,  which  we  ought 
never  to  lose  sight  of.  They  might  have  been 
sent  whilst  we  were  strangers  to  prayer  and 
faith ;  and,  had  they  come  before  we  fled  to 
Christ,  they  might  have  hurried  us  on  to  des- 
peration, or  hardened  our  hearts  against  the  Gos- 
pel !  Weigh  this  solemn  fact.  We  should  not 
have  escaped  from  all  affliction,  nor  have  had 
any  security  against  our  present  sufferings,  by 
continuing  in  "the  broad  way:"  they  might 
have  overtaken  us  there ;  or  what  is  worse,  God 
might  have  cursed  us,  by  giving  us  our  good 
things  in  this  life.  Now,  if  the  mighty  hand 
of  God  had  struck  us  down  whilst  we  were  afar 
off  from  him,  and  unwilling  to  draw  nigh  to 
him,  the  consequences  might  have  been  fatal; 
for,  if  we  almost  sink  now,  although  we  can  cast 
our  burden  on  the  Lord,  we  must  have  been 
overwhelmed,  if  that  burden  had  been  laid  upon 
us  before  we  knew  the  Lord.     And  if,  at  times. 


SANCTIFIED  AFFLICTION6.  189 

it  almost  alienate  some  of  our  feelings  from  him, 
by  its  weight ;  how  easily  might  it  have  set  all 
the  heart  against  him,  whilst  our  hearts  were 
unregenerate !  This  is  not  such  an  unusual  ef- 
fect of  severe  troubles  as  you  may  imagine. 
We,  indeed,  see  many  brought  to  their  "  right 
mind"  by  affliction ;  and  therefore  we  are  apt 
to  suppose  that  the  natural  tendency  of  it  is  to 
awaken  the  careless,  and  soften  the  obdurate ; 
but  whenever  affliction  does  so,  it  is  not  by  its 
natural  influence,  but  because  it  is  overruled  for 
good,  by  grace.  Accordingly  in  those  circles 
of  life  where  the  means  of  grace  are  neglected, 
and  the  Gospel  unknown,  the  usual  eff'ect  of 
trouble  is  to  harden  the  heart  against  God,  or  to 
produce  utter  recklessness.  There  are,  indeed, 
some  pleasing  exceptions  to  this  melancholy 
fact,  which  occur ;  but  they  are  very  few ;  and 
no  wonder.  How  could  it,  in  the  nature  of 
things,  be  otherwise  ?  Affliction  is  well  cal- 
culated to  enforce  whatever  a  man  knows  of  God 
and  salvation ;  but,  if  he  have  grown  up  igno- 
rant of  the  things  which  belong  to  his  **  peace," 
it  cannot  inform  him  of  these  things.  Accord- 
ingly, where  they  are  not  known  beforehand, 


190  SANCTIFIED    AFFLICTIONS. 

there  is  nothing  in  the  mind  to  work  upon,  but 
its  own  powers  and  passions,  and  these  are  ra- 
ther irritated  than  subdued  by  the  rod.  Had, 
therefore,  our  severest  trials  come  upon  us  whilst 
we  were  ignorant,  and  out  of  the  way,  the  pro- 
bability is,  that  they  would  have  seared  our  con- 
science, and  thus  sealed  our  ruin. 

Another  reconciling  consideration  is — that  our 
former  trials  have  been  positively  useful  to  us. 
Our  present  affliction  is  not  the  first ;  we  have 
had  the  cup  at  our  lips  before;  and  if  it  be  bit- 
terer than  before,  there  is  still  no  poison  in  it. 
Hitherto  it  has  proved  salutary  in  every  instance. 
Accordingly  we  can  trace  an  intimate  connexion 
between  certain  trials  and  the  formation  of  our 
religious  character :  they  gave  power  and  glory 
to  our  views  of  salvation  and  eternity,  and 
brought  our  principles  to  the  test;  and  assisted 
in  breaking  up  bad  habits,  and  in  bringing  down 
bad  tempers ;  for  before  we  were  afflicted  we 
"went  astray."  Upon  our  devotional  character, 
especially,  they  have  had  a  mighty  influence. 
The  spirit  of  prayer  might  almost  be  said  to  have 
begun  with  the  beginning  of  our  sorrows ;  we 
came  so  near  to  God,  and  unbosomed  and  un- 


SANCTIFIED  AFFLICTIONS.  191 

burdened  our  souls  so  fully  to  him,  when  his 
hand  was  first  lifted  up  against  us.  We  saw  the 
"  needs  be"  for  the  rod  then,  and  acknowledged 
that  in  faithfulness  he  had  afflicted  us.  Accord- 
ingly, on  looking  back  to  the  devotional  exer- 
cises of  that  time,  and  to  the  devotional  habits 
which  grew  out  of  them,  we  can  truly  say  with 
David,  <'  It  was  good  for  me  that  I  was  afflicted." 
Now,  with  all  this  experience,  why  not  expect 
similar  good  from  your  present  afflictions  ?  They 
are  heavier — but  they  are  from  the  same  hand, 
and  from  the  same  heart  too ;  and  therefore  for 
the  same  gracious  purpose. 

*«  Bqt  they  have  not  the  same  influence,"  some 
may  say ;  *'  this  stroke  of  the  rod  has  quite 
stunned  me.  My  spirit  is  so  overwhelmed  within 
me,  and  my  mind  so  unhinged,  that  I  cannot 
pray,  nor  meditate,  nor  do  any  thing  aright. 
My  former  troubles  endeared  the  mercy-seat  and 
the  means  of  grace,  and  seemed  to  bring  with 
them  the  strength  and  the  consolation  required 
for  bearing  them  well;  but  this  calamity  has 
swept,  like  a  whirlwind,  all  my  best  principles 
and   feelings   before  it.     Nothing  rises  in  my 


192  SANCTIFIED    AFFLICTIONS. 

heart  but  dark  and  horrid  thoughts  ;  and  when  I 
try  to  pray  them  down,  they  rise  more  fiercely  !" 
This  is,  indeed,  a  deplorable  case;  but  still,  it 
is  only  the  natural  effect  of  the  first  pressure  of 
heavy  woes :  they  unsettle  and  upset  the  mind 
for  a  time,  and  we  ourselves  aggravate  their  pres- 
sure by  rash  conclusions.  One  rash  conclusion, 
which  we  are  prone  to  draw,  is, — that  we  never 
can  get  over  such  a  trial,  nor  be  ourselves  again. 
We  feel  sure  of  this,  and  say  that  it  is  impossible 
ever  to  surmount  it,  or  to  be  happy  again. 

Perhaps  this  is  your  opinion  of  your  own  case. 
It  is,  however,  a  conclusion  utterly  unwarranted 
by  Scripture  or  experience.  Others  have  reco- 
vered from  strokes  of  providence  equally  stun- 
ning. Asaph  was  quite  as  much  overwhelmed 
as  you  are.  Besides,  you  are  not  prepared, 
whatever  you  may  think  at  present,  to  abide  by 
your  own  conclusion.  It  is  not  drawn  from  all 
the  facts  of  the  case.  You  are  looking  only  to 
**the  things  which  are  seen,  and  temporal," 
and  overlooking  "  the  things  which  are  unseen, 
and  eternal,"  when  you  say  that  all  is  over  in 
your  case.    For  surely  you  have  not  made  up 


SANCTIFIED  AFFLICTIONS.  193 

your  mind  to  brave  and  bear  eternal  separation 
from  God  and  the  Lamb  !  Surely  you  are  not 
willing  to  abandon  your  soul  to  perdition,  be- 
cause your  temporal  interests  are  gone  to  wreck  ! 
You  cannot  look  a  ruined  eternity  in  the  face, 
and  recklessly  await  its  coming !  Such  horrid 
thoughts  may,  indeed,  flash  across  your  agitated 
spirit  for  a  moment ;  but  you  dare  not,  cannot, 
dwell  upon  them.  Even  if  you  indulge  them  for 
a  moment,  there  is  a  lurking  hope  that  it  will  not 
come  to  this :  and  even  when  you  are  most  des- 
perate, you  are  not  prepared  to  affirm  that  God 
cannot  bring  you  out  of  these  deep  waters. 

Consider  this ;  you  are  not  prepared  to  throw 
your  precious  and  immortal  soul  into  the  general 
wreck  of  your  happiness.  There  is  enough  lost, 
without  losing  that  too !  Besides,  you  do  not 
believe  yourself,  when  you  try  to  say  to  your- 
self, that  all  hope  is  for  ever  gone.  Oh  no! 
you  may  not  see  how  you  can  be  restored,  but 
you  know  that  restoration  is  not  impossible. 
You  dare  not  go  the  length  of  maintaining  that 
God  is  your  implacable  and  eternal  enemy. 
You  may  say,  *«  What  can  I  think,  seeing  God 
has  allowed  all  this  to  come  upon  me  ?     Is  no 


194  SANCTIFIED    AFFLICTIONS. 

my  calamity  a  token,  not  only  of  his  anger  and 
wrath,  but  of  his  hatred?''  No  1  for  grievous 
as  it  is,  it  is  less  than  Job's;  and  in  his  there 
was  no  hatred  at  all.  Besides,  you  once  thought, 
and  believed,  that  God  was  your  friend.  **Ah," 
you  say,  "it  is  the  recollection  of  that  hope 
which  aggravates  all  my  misery.  I  had  begun 
to  feel  as  a  child,  and  to  act  as  a  child,  towards 
the  God  of  salvation ;  and  I  seemed,  to  myself, 
likely  to  do  well  in  his  service,  until  this  came 
upon  me."  Indeed  !  upon  what  grounds  did 
you  then  rest  the  hope  of  your  sonship  ?  Per- 
haps these  grounds  remain  as  open  and  firm  as 
ever ; — if  they  were  scriptural  grounds,  they  ac- 
tually do.  If,  however,  you  took  up  the  hope 
of  salvation  from  the  consideration  that  Provi- 
dence was  smiling  on  you ;  and  thought  God 
your  Father,  because  your  temporal  lot  pleased 
you,  you  were  risking  your  soul  in  a  refuge  of 
lies  ;  and  if  so,  your  calamity  is  sent  in  mercy, 
to  drive  you  for  refuge  to  the  hope  set  before 
you  in  the  Gospel.  But  if  you  say,  "  It  was 
not  wanted  for  that ;  all  my  hope  of  salvation 
and  sonship  was  built,  not  on  any  thing  in  my 
temporal  lot,   or  in  my  moral  character,    but 


SANCTIFIED  AFFLICTIONS.  195 

wholly  on  the  Rock  of  Ages ;  Christ  was  all  and 
all  as  the  ground  of  my  hopes  :  if  so,  have  you 
not  known — have  you  not  heard,  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  *'  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for 
ever?''  Then  all  the  grounds  of  your  hope  do 
remain  the  same  as  ever.  The  foundation  stand- 
eth  sure,  whatever  else  is  fallen. 

Now  the  matter  comes  to  a  point ;  for  if  it  be 
the  fact,  that  your  hopes  were  not  founded  on, 
nor  influenced  by,  the  providential  tokens  of 
divine  favour  in  your  lot,  but  were  derived  solely 
from  the  person  and  work  of  Christ,  —  the 
changes  in  your  lot  ought  not  to  change  hope 
into  despair,  seeing  the  foundation  of  hope  is 
unchanged.  But  you  say,  "  I  am  sadly  changed 
to  the  worse."  In  what  ?  You  wonder  at  this 
question,  and  are  ready  to  say, "  In  every  thing." 
Now  you  should,  of  course,  know  best ;  but,  at 
present,  you  are  neither  calm  nor  collected,  and 
therefore  it  may  be  that  you  judge  too  rashly. 
There  is,  however,  no  doubt,  a  melancholy 
change  in  the  frame  of  your  mind,  and  in  your 
devotional  habits ;  but  still,  these  are  not  every 
thing  in  religion  :  they  are  important  and  neces- 
sary things  ;  but  they  are  not  the  whole  of  piety,. 


196  SANCTIFIED  AFFLICTIONS. 

nor  yet  the  vital  principle  of  it.  Faith  in  Christ 
is  the  grand  bond  of  union  between  the  soul  and 
God ;  and  if  that  bond  be  not  broken,  your  soul 
may  soon  return  to  its  quiet  rest; — "cast  down," 
indeed,  "  but  not  destroyed  ;  perplexed,  but  not 
in  despair.'*  But  you  say,  "  My  faith  is  gone, 
as  well  as  ray  hope ;  they  perished  together,  in 
the  day  of  my  calamity."  Indeed  !  how  could 
that  be  ?  Your  calamity  made  a  sad  alteration 
in  you  ;  but  it  did  not  alter  the  Saviour,  nor  the 
Gospel,  nor  the  promises  of  God  to  believers. 
Perhaps  it  did  not  alter  your  leading  views  or 
convictions  in  regard  to  the  person  and  work  of 
Christ.  If  not,  your  faith  is  not  clean  gone  yet. 
Examine  the  matter  calmly  :  you  were  once  fully 
persuaded  of  the  truth,  and  suitableness,  and 
value  of  the  gospel.-^Is  this  persuasion  changed  ? 
Is  there  any  part  of  the  divine  testimony  con- 
cerning Christ,  which  you  now  disbelieve  ?  Do 
you  think  less  of  the  Saviour  than  formerly  ?  He 
is  not,  of  course,  so  precious  in  your  estimation 
as  he  was,  when  you  could  look  up  to  him  as 
your  own  Saviour ;  but  you  still  believe  him  to 
be  the  only  Saviour.  In  regard  to  all  but  your- 
self, you  are  fully  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to 


SANCTIFIED  AFFLICTIONS.  197 

save  to  the  very  uttermost.  How  then  can  you 
say,  that  your  faith  is  utterly  perished  ?  Is  there 
no  faith  in  a  firm  belief  of  all  the  truth  concern- 
ing the  Saviour  ?  If  not,  what  do  you  mean  by 
faith  ? 

Perhaps  you  never  attached  much  importance 
to  ihe  cordial  belief  of  the  truth  itself ;  but  have, 
hitherto,  regarded  nothing  as  faith,  but  the  re- 
liance  which  you  placed  on  Christ  for  your  own 
salvation ;  and  therefore,  as  that  reliance  is  shaken 
to  its  very  centre  at  present,  you,  of  course,  con- 
clude that  you  have  no  faith.  Now  it  is  cer- 
tainly very  useless  to  believe  the  truth  concerning 
the  Saviour,  without  trusting  in  him  for  salva- 
tion. It  is,  however,  the  belief  of  the  truth  con- 
cerning Him,  which  is  the  warrant  for  trusting 
in  Him.  You  may  say,  *'  I  cannot  trust — cannot 
rely,  now;  God  seems  to  debar  me,  by  visible 
tokens  of  his  anger."  Now  really,  this  is  a  rash 
interpretation  of  his  dealings.  You  cannot  lay 
your  hand  upon  one  text  of  Scripture,  which  says 
that  such  judgments  as  yours  are  fatal,  or  final. 
The  whole  tenor  of  Scripture  stamps  them  as 
being  fatherly  chastisements,  inflicted  in  love, 
not  in  hatred.  And  as  to  the  assertion,  that  you 
s  2 


198  SANCTIFIED  AFFLICTIONS. 

can  no  longer  venture  to  rely  on  Christ  for  your- 
self, it  is  equally  unfounded.  You,  of  course, 
believe  and  feel  it  to  be  true ;  but  it  is  not  less 
false,  in  itself,  on  that  account.  The  Spirit  of 
God  is  just  as  able  to  enable  you  to  trust  in 
Christ  now,  as  when  he  first  won  your  confi- 
dence to  Him ;  and,  for  any  thing  that  appears 
to  the  contrary,  just  as  willing  as  ever.  He  is, 
however,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  and  therefore  works 
by  the  truth ;  and  that  truth  which  you  require 
to  see,  in  order  to  the  renewal  of  your  trust  in 
Christ,  is — that  you  are  warranted  and  welcome 
to  rely  on  Him  for  your  own  salvation,  upon  the 
single  ground  of  still  believing  what  God  has 
testified  concerning  him.  Now,  that  testimony 
you  do  believe  with  the  heart  still,  unhinged  and 
overwhelmed  as  your  heart  is  !  You  have  lost 
your  hold  upon  hope  and  peace,  during  this 
stormy  and  dark  day ;  but  you  have  not  lost  hold 
of  the  truth  of  the  Gospel.  Well,  on  this  ground 
it  is  both  your  privilege  and  your  duty  to  take  up 
hope  again.  Now,  if  you  see  this  clearly,  the 
lesson  is  worth  all  that  you  have  suffered  in  order 
to  learn  it. 

Assuming,  therefore,  that  you  now  see  how 


SANCTIFIED  AFFLICTIONS.  199 

your  faith  in  Christ  has  secured  your  interest  in 
Christ,  and  maintained  it  throughout  all  the  vi- 
cissitudes of  your  case,  what  do  you  think  of 
your  trials,  when  you  view  them  in  this  light  ? 
Your  soul  is  still  safe ;  God  is  still  your  friend ; 
the  Saviour  has  not  forgotten  you ;  the  Spirit 
has  not  forsaken  you; — whatever  you  have  lost 
or  suffered.  Is  not  this  an  up-making  portion  ? 
Does  not  all  this  balance  the  weight  of  aiffliction, 
and  even  lighten  it  ?  You  may  now  calculate 
upon  grace  to  help,  and  on  strength  to  sustain 
you.  **  Humble"  yourself  under  the  mighty 
hand  of  God,  and  he  will  exalt  you  in  due  sea- 
son. This  hot  furnace  was  the  fiery  trial  of  your 
faith,  as  well  as  your  patience;  and,  accordingly, 
it  has  purified  your  faith  from  much  of  its  dross, 
and  increased  its  value  in  your  own  estimation. 
And,  is  it  not  amazing  to  you  to  see  the  glorious 
principle  of  salvation  by  faith,  like  a  rainbow, 
spanning  and  brightening  the  dark  clouds  of 
your  calamity  !  Can  you  ever  cease  to  wonder 
at  this  wonder  ?  Saved  by  faith  !  Now  you  can 
do  and  endure,  as  seeing  Him  who  is  Invisible. 


CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE. 

No.  XIII. 

EXPERIMENTAL  MAXtMS- 


*«  Hold  the  Mystery  of  Faith  in  a  pure  corf 
science.'^  In  nothing  else  can  it  be  held  with 
comfort  or  effect.  When  a  bad  conscience  gets 
between  the  mind  and  the  Gospel,  it  soon  brings 
on  an  almost  total  eclipse  upon  both,  until  the 
Gospel  no  longer  appears  what  it  really  is,  and 
the  mind  can  no  longer  apply  it  as  formerly. 
How  naturally  and  inevitably  this  should  be  the 
effect  of  a  bad  conscience,  you  may  judge  from 
the  fact— that  you  have  found  it  difficult  to  get 
hold,  and  to  keep  hold,  ot  the  principle  of  sal- 
vation by  faith,  notwithstanding  all  your  efforts 
to  maintain  a  good  conscience  towards  God  and 
man.  Your  conscience  was,  perhaps,  never  more 
tender  or  watchful  than  during  your  inquiries  into 


EXPERIMENTAL    MAXIMS.  201 

this  principle ;  and  if,  in  this  state  of  mind,  you 
have  at  one  time  been  afraid  to  call  your  be- 
lieving, faith ;  and  at  another  time  afraid  to  con- 
clude that  you  were  justified ; — it  is  obvious  that 
a  bad  conscience  must  render  such  conclusions 
impossible,  upon  scriptural  or  rational  grounds. 
The  sober  and  solemn  fact  is,  that  the  comforts 
of  the  Gospel  are  in  the  hands  of  the  Holy 
Spirit;  and  therefore,  when  they  are  not  em- 
ployed for  holy  purposes,  he  withholds  them,  or, 
what  is  worse,  leaves  the  mind  to  the  infatuation 
of  crying  **  Peace,"  when  there  is  no  peace. 
However  clearly,  therefore,  you  may  now  see 
the  way  of  your  own  salvation  by  faith,  be  sure 
of  this, — that  as  soon  as  you  cease  to  strive  to 
maintain  a  good  conscience  towards  God  and 
man,  your  hold  upon  the  gospel  will  begin  to 
relax,  and  continue  to  lessen,  until  you  sink  into 
greater  perplexity  than  ever.  A  good  hope  can- 
not be  held  in  a  bad  conscience. 

"  Let  the  peace  of  God  rule  in  your  hearts,"*^ 
Yes,  let  it !  Some  do  not  allow  it  to  rule  or  rest 
in  their  hearts.  "  We  have  peace  with  God," 
when  the  Holy  Spirit  enables  us  to  see  and  be- 
lieve that  we  are  "  justified  by  faith  :"  but  this 


202  EXPERIMENTAL    MAXIMS. 

way  of  arriving  at,  and  retaining,  peace  of  con-- 
science,  is  so  different  from  all  our  natural,  and 
from  the  spirit  of  many  of  our  acquired,  ideas, 
that  we  are  prone  to  flinch  from  it,  or  to  be 
afraid  of  it ;  and  thus  we  unsettle  that  peace 
which  springs  from  believing.  We  talk,  indeed, 
of  •'  living  a  life  of  faith  ;"  but,  in  general,  this 
is  made  to  include  almost  every  thing  but  faith 
itself.  Nor  is  this  the  only  way  in  which  peace 
with  God  is  disturbed  and  lost :  it  comes  into  the 
heart  by  believing  ;  but  it  comes  to  "  rwZe"  in 
the  heart ;  and,  therefore,  if  it  be  not  allowed  to 
sway  its  sceptre  over  our  habits  and  tempers,  it 
will  not  shed  its  sweet  influences  over  our  hopes. 
Oh,  charge  all  that  is  within  you,  to  let  it  rule 
over  you  ! 

*'  Pray  always  with  all  prayer  and  supplica- 
tion,'" If  you  know  yourself  to  be  a  believer, 
you  have  not,  of  course,  to  pray  for  faith  itself, 
but  for  the  increase  and  the  continuance  of  it ; 
nor  for  justification  itself,  but  for  the  habitual 
sense  of  it,  and  for  the  pardon  of  daily  sins ;  nor 
for  sonship  itself,  but  for  the  spirit  of  adoption ; 
nor  fot  the  new  birth  itself,  but  for  the  progress 
and  perfection  of  regeneration :  but  what  a  field 


EXPERIMENTAL    MAXIMS.  203 

—what  occasion— for  frequent  and  fervent  prayer 
is  thus  before  you  !  And  you  will  require  to 
pray,  until  your  spirit  be  disembodied  for  praise. 
Without  prayer,  you  cannot  maintain  a  good 
conscience :  without  prayer,  you  cannot  keep  be- 
fore your  mind  the  principles  or  the  facts  of  the 
Gospel,  which  have  relieved  you  :  without  prayer, 
the  spirit  of  adoption  will  evaporate  as  morning 
dew:  without  prayer,  the  joints  and  sinews  of 
your  moral  and  religious  character  will  relax  and 
fail.  You  never  can  realize  as  your  Father,  the 
God  you  are  reluctant  to  commune  with.  You 
may  call  him  so  before  others  ;  but  you  will  be 
unable  to  think  him  so  in  your  own  mind. 

*«  TVhen  thou  art  converted,  strengthen  thy 
brethren.'*  Some,  when  they  discover  the  per- 
fect simplicity  of  the  Gospel,  and  see  clearly 
that  the  cordial  belief  of  it  is  faith,  and  that 
faith  itself  settles  the  question  of  acceptance  with 
God,  —  have  no  patience  with  those  who  are 
groping  their  way  to  these  great  principles,  and 
no  respect  for  those  who  happen  to  state  them 
less  clearly.  Penitents  are  thus  treated  with 
harshness ;  and  preachers,  who  are  as  intent  as 
any  on  making  Christ  all  and  all  in  salvation, 


204  EXPERIMENTAL   MAXIMS. 

are  branded  as  legalists  and  enemies  of  the 
Cross.  Now,  to  say  the  least  of  such  conduct, 
it  is  really  despicable  /  How  can  such  persons 
forget  the  slowness  of  their  own  hearts  to  ap- 
prehend and  believe  the  whole  of  the  gospel  ? 
Guard  against  this  censorious  spirit  !  You  did 
not  see  your  own  way  or  welcome  at  once,  nor 
soon,  nor  easily.  And  it  is  more  than  probable, 
that  one  half  of  the  patience,  which  you  have 
required  in  your  own  case,  will  be  quite  sufficient 
to  bring  these  humble  inquirers  into  the  glorious 
liberty  of  the  children  of  God,  For  they  are  not 
unbelieverSi  because  unable  yet  to  see  how  faith 
itself  unites  the  soul  to  Christ.  In  general,  they 
believe  with  the  heart  all  the  truth  with  which 
God  has  connected  the  promise  of  salvation ;  so 
that,  on  your  own  principles,  they  are  safe, 
without  knowing  that  they  are  so.  "  Streiigthen,^* 
therefore,  instead  of  staggering,  them. 

**  Be  ye  followers  of  God  as  dear  children," 
Much,  both  of  your  personal  comfort  and  relative 
usefulness,  depends  on  acting  upon  this  principle. 
The  theoretic  or  logical  conclusion  that  you  are 
a  child  of  God,  because  you  believe  in  Christ, 
will  not  last  long,  if  you  cease  to  follow  the  Lord 


EXPERIMENTAL    MAXIMS.  205 

fully.  It  is,  however,  equally  true  that  you  will 
not  long  follow  him  fully,  if  you  lose  sight  of 
this  conclusion.  —  He  who  would  follow  as  a 
child  of  God,  must  believe  that  he  is  a  child  of 
God.  Now,  if  you  believe  this  in  your  own 
case,  do  speak  and  act  agreeably  to  your  rela- 
tionship. 1  do  not  mean,  of  course,  that  you 
should  boast  of,  or  obtrude  on  others,  the  hope 
of  your  sonship ;  but  you  may,  you  ought,  to 
appear  in  your  real  character.  By  doing  so 
habitually,  you  will  feel  more  and  more  bound 
to  cultivate  the  image  and  spirit  of  a  child  ;  and 
others,  seeing  not  only  your  good  works,  but 
your  good  hopes  also,  will  feel  that  religion 
gives  the  happiness  it  promises.  Whereas  when 
the  careless,  or  the  undecided,  see  nothing  more 
than  practical  godliness  in  the  pious,  and  hear 
nothing  from  them  but  details  of  fears,  and 
doubts,  and  strivings ;  they  are  led  to  argue  that 
religion,  however  good,  is  joyless,  and  that  the 
pious  are  as  uncertain  as  themselves  of  salvation. 
And  what  else  can  they  think,  if  you  say  nothing 
of  your  enjoyments?  Casting  "  pearls  before 
swine"  is  wrong ;  but,  in  general,  wherever  you 
can  speak  of  your  sense  of  duty  with  propriety, 

T 


206  EXPERIMENTAL   MAXIMS. 

you  may  say  something  of  your  privileges  and 
prospects  too. 

**  Follow  peace  with  all  men,  and  holiness, 
without  which  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord." 


THE   END. 


E.  JUSTINS  &  SON,  Printers,  Brick  Lane,  SpitsUfields. 


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